Russian Su-35 fighter jet shot down in Kursk region, claims Ukraine

The Ukrainian Air Force, on Saturday morning, claimed to have shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet while conducting an aerial operation close to Kursk Oblast, a border region in western Russia. While precise details of the operation were not disclosed, the military confirmed the incident through a statement on Telegram, according to a Reuters report.The statement issued in the morning on June 7, as per the news agency, said that the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet, following a successful operation.
The Russian forces have not commented on the Ukrainian Air Force’s claims, the Reuters report added.
The fourth-generation multirole fighter jet, the Su-35, is regarded as one of Moscow’s most sophisticated aircraft.The incident is the latest escalation in ongoing hostilities across the Russia-Ukraine border.

Reportedly, Ukraine previously launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first such large-scale movement by foreign forces into Russian territory since World War II, stated a Kyiv Independent report.

Russia recaptured much of the territory with aid from North Korean troops, including the town of Sudzah in March, and the area has continually witnessed active military engagement, the report added.

Part of a larger pattern of aerial warfare

Russia has suffered further losses as a result of Ukraine’s downing of the Su-35 jet. The latest incident comes less than a week after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted Operation Spiderweb, a sweeping drone assault on multiple Russian air bases, it added.

Reportedly, the attack, launched on June 1, targeted airfields housing Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, which are frequently used by Moscow to launch long-range cruise missile strikes against Ukrainian cities.

The Kyiv Independent report stated that Ukraine has so far launched 117 drones from mobile platforms deep inside Russia, striking airbases in at least four regions. They have reportedly damaged/destroyed over 40 military aircraft.

After the Su-35 was shot down, Ukraine’s General Staff said that a total of 414 Russian planes have been destroyed since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Ukrainian military leaders see these wins as important, as they work to weaken Russia’s control of the skies and reduce long-range strikes on civilian areas, the reports added.