Russia claims to have destroyed five Ukrainian fighter jets in attack on airfield

Russia said on Tuesday that it had destroyed five Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jets and damaged two others with Iskander-M missiles at the Myrhorod airfield in central Ukraine’s Poltava region. The Ukrainian side acknowledged the attack but accused Russia of exaggerating the extent of the damage.

The Russian Defense Ministry released footage purporting to show the aftermath of the attack, with smoke and flames rising from the airfield. However, it did not specify when the attack took place. “As a result of the Russian attack, five active SU-27 multirole fighters were destroyed and two were damaged,” the ministry claimed.

This attack comes at a critical time as Kyiv prepares to receive the first American-designed F-16 fighter jets, which Russia intends to attack and destroy.

Ukrainian Air Force officer Yuri Ihnat confirmed the attack on Myrhorod but downplayed the scale of the losses. “There was an attack. There are some losses, but not those that the enemy claims. They have always exaggerated since the beginning of the invasion,” Ihnat wrote in a statement on Facebook late Monday.

Reports by Ukrainian military bloggers indicated that a Russian reconnaissance drone was able to fly over the airfield, facilitating the attack. Ihnat stressed the significant threat posed by such drones. “There are not enough means to destroy (reconnaissance) drones,” Ihnat said. “They fly and report everything in real time, and then Iskander comes in a few minutes. That’s obvious.”

As both sides continue to exchange claims and counterclaims, the situation underscores the continued intensity of the conflict and the strategic importance of air superiority in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Melissa Enoch

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