Ukrainian F‑16s claim significant victory, downing Russian Su‑34
According to Russian sources, Ukrainian F-16s shot down a Su-34 bomber. This is likely the first aerial victory by Western fighters during the conflict with Russia.
The information regarding the Su-34 being shot down is currently being reported mainly by Russian sources, including Telegram accounts that, until now, have provided information consistent with facts rather than Kremlin propaganda.
As reported by the Milmag service, the first to post this information on Telegram was former Russian military pilot Ilja Tumanow, who manages the Fighterbomber account. The brief post features a black-and-white photograph of the Su-34 with the caption, "The earth is the sky, brothers…".
Other sources provided more details, which surfaced slightly later. According to the published information, the downed Su-34 was on a mission, dropping an FAB glide bomb with a UMPK module about 50 kilometres from the frontline. To increase the bomb's range, the Russian aircraft reportedly climbed to about 7,900 metres.
Despite being at a distance from the adversary, the Russian aircraft was reportedly shot down by an F-16 operating over territory controlled by Ukraine. The two-person crew in the downed bomber was killed. Ukrainian sources have not yet commented on these reports.
F-16s in Ukraine
Ukraine has so far received at least two batches of F-16A. The first, delivered between late July and early August 2024, consisted of 6-10 aircraft, of which at least one was lost—although not officially confirmed, a Ukrainian F-16 was reportedly accidentally shot down by Ukrainian air defence.
The second batch of Western aircraft (the exact number remains unknown) arrived in Ukraine in early October from the Netherlands, which committed to delivering 24 aircraft in total.
The shot-down Su-34 is a bomber based on the Su-27 fighter. It is distinguished by its distinctive cockpit with two side-by-side seats and is capable of carrying the heaviest bombs used by the Russians during the war, such as the 3-tonne FAB 3000 with an UMPK module.
