The spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuriy Ignat, commenting on the burning of the Su-34 at the Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk on the air of the telethon, said that the loss of at least one aircraft is serious for the Russian Federation. Their production under sanctions is quite long and problematic.
According to the spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Su-34/35 are the most modern aircraft of the occupiers.
With the help of the Su-34, the Russians bombard the territory of Ukraine with guided aerial bombs and Kh-59 missiles.
- In Russia, on the night of January 4, 2024, a Su-34 tactical bomber burned down at the Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk. He was part of the aviation regiment of the 21st mixed aviation division of the Air and Space Forces of the Russian Federation. Main Department of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ukrainian Army reported without details that "the causes of the planeʼs ignition are being clarified", but a number of Ukrainian media, citing sources, wrote that MDI could be behind it.
- This is the fifth Su-34 lost by Russian forces in the last few weeks. The first three were shot down by the Patriot air defense system on December 22. In two days, on December 24, one Su-34 was shot down in the direction of Mariupol.
- In general, according to the General Staff, Russia lost 329 aircraft during the two years of the war with Ukraine — 330, if you count the burned Su-34.