ISW: Ukrainian F-16 Likely Shot Down Russian Su-34 Fighter Jet

A Russian military blogger claims that a Ukrainian F-16 may have shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter jet, potentially marking the first confirmed instance of Ukraine using a Western-supplied aircraft to down a Russian piloted jet. This information comes from the latest report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

On October 12, a Russian military blogger, closely linked to the Russian Air Force, confirmed the loss of the Su-34 but did not provide specific details regarding the circumstances of the incident. The blogger stated that the jet’s crew had been killed, though they denied the aircraft was downed by Ukrainian forces. Other Russian military sources have suggested that the Su-34 may have crashed due to technical issues or pilot error.

However, a separate Russian Telegram channel, reportedly operated by Russian airborne officers and the staff of Russia’s “Dnepr” military grouping, claimed that a Ukrainian F-16 likely downed the Su-34 while it was conducting a bombing mission with glide bombs about 50 kilometers from the front line.

The Telegram channel criticized other Russian military bloggers, accusing them of spreading misinformation about the incident and hindering the development of strategies to counter the Ukrainian F-16 threat. It highlighted the issues of outdated Russian aircraft and the fatigue of Russian pilots.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has consistently requested F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies. In the spring of 2023, an aviation coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands was formed, initially comprising 10 countries, with more joining later. Ukrainian pilots were trained on the F-16s in an accelerated program, significantly shorter than the usual five-year training period. Ukraine received its first F-16s in early August 2024.