Ukraine downs fighter jet in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Air Force says
Ukraine shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in Russia's Kursk Oblast on the morning of June 7, the Air Force reported.
Although no details of the operation were disclosed, the downing brings the total number of Russian aircraft destroyed since the start of the full-scale invasion to 414, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign forces since World War II.
Reinforced by North Korean troops, Russia launched a push to recapture the region in early March, with Ukraine being forced to pull back from much of the initially taken territory, including the town of Sudzha.
The downing of the Su-35 fighter jet also adds to the losses Ukraine has inflicted on the Russian Air Force over the past week.
On June 1, Ukraine launched its Operation Spiderweb, conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), reportedly hitting 41 Russian bomber planes and other aircraft. According to Kyiv, Ukraine inflicted $7 billion in damage and disabled over a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently confirm the number of planes allegedly damaged and destroyed by the SBU.
The SBU said 117 drones, launched from concealed trucks positioned across Russian territory, simultaneously struck airfields in at least four regions, including sites thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The targeted air bases reportedly housed Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, essential carriers of long-range cruise missiles used in Moscow's air strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike'
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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