Russia’s Own Battlefield Maps May Have Misled Su-35 Pilot Before Ukraine Shootdown

Soldiers of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps filmed the moment a Russian Su-35 fighter jet crashed after being shot down by Ukraine’s Air Force and later conducted follow-up reconnaissance of the wreckage.

The footage, released on July 9, confirms that the downed Russian Su-35 came down inside the area of responsibility of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps.

“A Russian Su-35 fighter jet is smoldering in the area of responsibility of the 3rd Army Corps,” the corps said.

The unit congratulated Ukraine’s Air Force on the successful strike.

“Congratulations to Ukraine’s Air Force on the successful hit against the Russian Su-35,” the 3rd Army Corps said.

The UA Control Map OSINT project reported that the Su-35 crash site was located around 42 kilometers from the front line.

Analysts suggested that the Russian pilot may have believed he was farther from the front than he actually was, relying on Russian Defense Ministry maps that often mark territory as controlled by Moscow before it is actually captured.

“Russian Su-35 crash site, 42 km from the front. They probably thought they were further from the front using Russian maps, once again hoisted by their own MoD’s petard,” UA Control Map wrote.

Ukraine’s Air Force earlier confirmed the shootdown of a Russian aircraft but did not immediately provide additional details.

The Su-35, known by NATO as the Flanker-E, is one of Russia’s most advanced fighters in regular service. It is a single-seat, twin-engine multirole aircraft designed for air superiority, interception, and long-range air combat, while also retaining the ability to strike ground targets.

Earlier, a Russian military blogger revealed that Russia’s Ka-52 attack helicopter that crashed in Russia’s Voronezh region on July 2 was likely brought down by friendly fire while responding to a Ukrainian drone attack.

Protect Ukrainian Skies

Subscribe to Sky Defense