British intelligence: Russians shot down their own fighter plane over Ukraine

Russian air defenses have shot down their own Su-35S fighter jet near Tokmak in southeastern Ukraine, British military intelligence says.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence data, the plane was shot down on September 28, about 20 kilometers behind the front line.

According to Oryx, which counts documented equipment losses, Russia has lost 92 aircraft (Ukraine’s 73), including five Su-35s, since the start of the invasion. The same figure is given in the latest British intelligence report, which notes that the downed plane was “the fifth missing Su-35S, the most modern Russian fighter in service.”

Tokmak, a town in Zaporizhia Oblast, is heavily fortified and houses the Russian headquarters leading the defense on this part of the front where some of the heaviest fighting takes place. The Russian command is protected by short- and medium-range air defense systems, the British secret service emphasizes.

War in Ukraine. Russia has once again accidentally shot down its own plane

This is not the first time a Russian fighter plane has been shot down by friendly fire. According to calculations by the website The Insider, based on information from open sources, the Su-35S shot down at the end of September is at least the fourth aircraft destroyed by Russian air defense forces since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Rybar Channel, affiliated with the Russian military, reported on Telegram last December that an insufficient level of interaction with other units and types of troops and a broken identification system resulted in the loss of almost all Su-34, Su-35S and Su aircraft since the spring -30SM, as well as some Ka-52 Alligator helicopters.

According to data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost a total of 315 fighter aircraft and 316 helicopters as a result of hostilities since February 2022.

Source: Do Rzeczy

\