After 40 Billion Fighter Jet, 100 Billion Aircraft Also Shot Down... Russian Forces Face Consecutive Hardships

Main combat aircraft of the Russian military Su-35 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Foreign media reported that the Ukrainian military shot down a latest-model Russian military fighter jet worth 100 billion won.

On the 22nd (local time), major foreign media outlets reported, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, that an air defense missile from the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Suhoi (Su)-35 fighter jet over Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also released footage of the fighter jet crashing. According to the video, the fighter jet, engulfed in flames, emitted thick black smoke as it fell and then exploded.

The Su-35 shot down this time is the latest model upgraded from the existing Su-27 fighter jet. It is classified as a 4.5 generation fighter with performance close to that of a 5th generation stealth fighter, and its top speed is known to reach 2,500 km/h. The price is approximately 85 million dollars (about 111.35 billion won) per unit.

On the 19th (local time), the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile shot down a Russian Sukhoi (Su)-35 fighter jet over Nova Kakhovka in Kherson Oblast.
[Photo by Twitter]

The Su-35 is also known as the main fighter jet of the Russian Air Force. Earlier, in March, the Russian Ministry of Defense showcased the power of the Su-35 fighter jet by releasing footage on its official YouTube channel of the jet conducting an airstrike. The video showed the fighter jet taking off from an airbase, launching missiles upon reaching the target, and then returning to the base.

Meanwhile, according to the British Daily Mail on the 19th (local time), the Russian military mistakenly shot down its own Su-34 bomber near the village of Alchevsk in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, mistaking it for an enemy aircraft.

The bombed Su-34 is a latest fighter model worth 36 million dollars (about 47 billion won) per unit. The Russian military initially posted a video of the jet crashing, mistaking it for a Ukrainian military aircraft, but deleted it after confirming it was their own bomber.