The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had brought down five Ukrainian fighter jets within 24 hours, including a Su-27 and a MiG-29.

According to a high-ranking legislator, a Ukrainian Osa missile defense system was responsible for shooting down a Ukrainian MiG-29 plane. He further stated that they had only been slightly involved in the incident.

The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed that the Russian Aerospace Forces had destroyed five Ukrainian fighter jets in the past 24 hours. Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said that the Su-27, Su-24, two Su-25, and MiG-29 were all among the Ukrainian jets shot down by the Russian Air Force. 

According to Konashenkov, a Su-27 and a Su-24 were taken down in the Kharkiv Region. At the same time, two Su-25 jets were destroyed in Nikolaypolye and Novy Donbas, and a MiG-29 was shot down in the Donetsk People’s Republic. However, the ministry did not specify which aircraft were used in the missions that downed the Ukrainian jets. 

Additionally, the MoD also claimed that air defense systems had eliminated five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in Patalakhovka, Kuzemovka, Kuzmino, Kremennaya, and Pshenichnoye of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic. If the Russian MoD’s reports are accurate, it would be a significant blow to the Ukrainian air force, which is already under-equipped. In particular, the MiG-29 has been used widely by Ukraine in combat against Russian forces, and footage of the plane equipped with HARMs assisting Ukrainian troops in countering Russian defenses has been seen on social media.