On 22 December, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed three Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft in the country’s south.

“Today, at noon, there are minus three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in the southern sector!” he wrote on Telegram messenger.

The commander did not specify what weapons were used to shoot down the three Russian bombers. 

Recently, the Ukrainian Air Force, which holds command over the air defense forces, confirmed that last May, Ukrainian air defenders used the Patriot system to shoot down five Russian airframes – a fighter jet, a bomber, and three helicopters – in Russian airspace simultaneously.

Ukraine’s Air Force confirms Patriot use to down three helicopters, two jets in Russia in May

Russia has been extensively using its bomber fleet to drop glide bombs on south-Ukrainian Kherson Oblast’s northwestern part, controlled by the Ukrainian forces.

The Russian bomb campaign in southern Ukraine has significantly intensified in recent months.