:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/T6LIDDRUZZDYTEKEWIDOJ7MPDQ.jpg "The Ukrainian army said it shot down three Russian fighter-bombers in the south of the country")
Ukrainian army shoots down three Russian fighter-bombers
The Ukrainian army declared on Friday that it had shot down three Russian fighter-bombers in the south of the country. President Volodimir Zelensky celebrated the achievement and assured that none of the “Russian killers” will go unpunished.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk stated that the Su-34 planes were shot down around noon on Friday. He also highlighted a message found on a downed Russian drone that read “Die, bitches.” The president thanked the soldiers who shot down the Russian fighter jets in the Kherson region, attributing the success to the Air Force and the direct action of the Odessa Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
Zelensky also revealed that he had spoken with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about the delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine and discussed approving a new EU support package for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros ($55 billion).
The Dutch government announced on Friday that it was preparing to deliver 18 of the promised US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Denmark and the Netherlands had previously announced that they would provide up to 61 jets once Ukrainian pilots had been trained.
The Kremlin has not commented on the Ukrainian claims, but Russian war bloggers suggested that losses may have been due to the Patriot missile air defense system. Another war blogger reported “losses among Su-34 bombers” that were being used to drop gliding bombs on the Ukrainian Krynky bridgehead, controlled by Russia.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine continues to strengthen its military capabilities with the support of European allies and the United States.