Ukraine reports jump in number of downed Russian planes
Vitaly Shevchenko | 8 hrs agoUkraine's military says it has shot down 10 Russian military jets in as many days, which marks a sharp increase over the preceding months.
The claim comes despite shortages experienced by Ukrainian forces due to delays in Western supplies.
Ukraine says a total of 342 Russian planes and 325 helicopters have been shot down since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. . . .
. . . Ukraine says it shot down some of the best aircraft available to the Russian air force between 17 and 27 February.
They include a highly sophisticated and rare A-50 military spy plane. If confirmed, this would be the second A-50 downed in just over a month, an embarrassing loss for Russia and a significant win for Ukraine.
The other Russian planes Ukraine claims to have destroyed in the time period are seven Su-34s and two S-35 fighter jets.
One weapon Ukraine is likely to have used is the US-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile.
The higher number of Russian planes claimed to have been shot down recently suggests that "Ukraine is being more aggressive with risking Patriot launchers close to the frontlines in order to engage Russian jets," Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the London-based think-tank Rusi, told the BBC. . .
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68423990