Ukrainian soldiers down three Russian Su-34 fighter jets on southern front

On December 22, the Ukrainian military destroyed three Su-34 Russian aircraft.

This happened in the southern direction, Rubryka reports, citing the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk, on Telegram.

"Today, at noon, in the southern direction, minus three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers," the message said.

The commander of the Air Force did not disclose the operation details or the exact location.

According to Oleshchuk, the occupants left the message "сDохните с*ки" ("Die, bitches" in English) on the downed Shahed drone tonight.

The defenders did not delay their response.

The Su-34 is a Soviet/Russian all-weather, two-seater fighter-bomber designed for precise missile and bomb strikes on ground targets. This aircraft can reach speeds of up to 1,900 km/h at an altitude of up to 14.6 km.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have downed:

• 324 aircraft;
• 324 helicopters.

As of Friday morning, December 22, the Russian losses in the war in Ukraine amounted to 1,080 occupiers. The total number of losses in the Russian army since the invasion began is approximately 351,350 soldiers.

Night drone attack 

Since the evening of December 21, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported launches and movement of Shahed drones.

On the night of December 22, the Russians massively attacked several regions of Ukraine with "Shahed" drones. Kyiv region also suffered attacks.

Around 23:30 in Kyiv, powerful explosions were heard. Debris from drones damaged residential buildings in three districts of the capital. Two people were injured.

Well-known TV presenter of the ICTV channel Andrio Kovalskyi lost his apartment due to the UAV attack on Kyiv.

In one of the districts of the Kyiv region, three private houses were damaged due to falling debris. A fire occurred in one of the unfinished houses, which was promptly extinguished.

The air raid lasted almost 2.5 hours. Air Defense Forces actively worked on enemy targets. In total, on the night of December 22, Russian forces launched 28 kamikaze drones at Ukraine. Air Defense Forces shot down 24 of them.

Explosions due to the work of air defenses were heard in the capital, Kyiv, Odesa, and Khmelnytskyi regions.

Rubryka visited the scene of the attack in Kyiv. In the capital, two people were injured due to the night attack, and one man was hospitalized.