TASS news agency and Kommersant newspaper said Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets and two Mi-8 helicopters were shot down in Bryansk province, bordering northeastern Ukraine.
According to the Daily Mail , one Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Klintsy (a town in the Bryansk region), the other was shot down near the village of Volkustichi in the Unechsky district.
TASS news agency on May 13 quoted an official from the Bryansk region emergency response agency as confirming: "The Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the city of Klintsy due to an engine fire." The incident occurred in an area about 40 km from the Ukrainian border. Emergency services sources said at least two people on board the helicopter were killed.
TASS also cited sources as saying that the Su-34 crashed in the village of Istrovka near Starodub, just minutes after reports that an unidentified helicopter had crashed in the area. The pilot and navigator of the Su-34 were unable to eject and died.
Videos posted on Russian social media show fighter jets and helicopters being shot down in the Bryansk region. Photo: EAST2WEST
Meanwhile, Kommersant newspaper did not provide evidence for the information that four Russian planes were shot down. However, videos posted on Russian social media on May 14 showed fighter jets and helicopters shot down in Bryansk province, bordering Ukraine.
According to Reuters news agency, video shared by Russian military blogger Voyenniy Osvedomitel shows the helicopter burning in the air, apparently due to being hit by an anti-aircraft missile. Voyenniy Osvedomitel said that "it is very likely that the enemy carried out an ambush, with air defense forces previously moved to a border area close enough to attack".
The Russian media outlet Mash and the Telegram channel Baza also put the total number of planes downed at four. The Telegram channel Baza aired a video of the alleged crash site, showing what appeared to be the tail and engine of the plane engulfed in flames. A plume of fire erupted from the propeller, leaving a trail of black smoke.
According to Kommersant , the aircraft were supposed to carry out a missile and bomb attack on targets in Ukraine's Chernihiv province. "The helicopters were there to provide support, possibly to pick up the "Su" crews if they were counterattacked," Kommersant reported.
A Su-34 and a Su-35 were shot down. Photo: MASH
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the Kommersant report. Ukraine has also not commented.
If it is confirmed that the plane was shot down, it would be the heaviest loss for Russian military aviation since the start of the conflict with Ukraine.
Earlier this month, two explosions derailed Russian freight trains on consecutive days in Bryansk Oblast. The Telegram channel Baza later reported a drone attack on an air base in the same province.
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