A Russian Su-34 fighter (Illustration: Reuters).
The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency (DIU) said on Telegram that the burning Su-34 fighter jet belonged to the 21st Guards Mixed Air Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The plane caught fire while stationed at Shagol air base in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, nearly 2,000km from the Ukrainian border.
"We are investigating the cause of the fire," DIU said.
DIU also posted a video that appears to show the Su-34 on fire.
Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda quoted an informed source as saying that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet burned down at the Shagol base on the night of January 3 and early morning of January 4. This was apparently the result of a special operation carried out by Ukrainian military intelligence.
Russia has not yet commented on the above information.
Recently, Ukraine has continuously announced the destruction of Russian fighter jets. Late last month, in less than a week, Kiev announced that it had shot down five Russian fighter jets.
Experts say Ukraine may have used the Patriot system with a range of 160km to attack Russian fighter jets.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat recently said that in May, the Ukrainian military used the Patriot long-range missile system provided by the West to shoot down five military aircraft including Su-34, Su-35, and Mi-8 helicopters on the Bryansk border of Russia within 5 minutes.
Mr. Ihnat emphasized the importance of Patriot complexes in Ukraine's air defense operations, including shooting down Russian missiles, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
Image of what is believed to be a Russian fighter jet on fire at Chelyabinsk airport (Photo: Ukrainska Pravda).
Ukraine receives more than 200 billion USD in aid
The Russian Defense Ministry released data on January 4 showing that 54 countries have supported Ukraine in its nearly two-year conflict with Russia. In total, these countries have provided more than $203 billion in aid to Kiev.
According to the report, more than 500 US and NATO satellites are serving Ukraine's needs, including 70 military satellites, the rest are dual-purpose commercial satellites.
The Ukrainian military is also relying on more than 20,000 Starlink terminals from US billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Other countries supplied Ukraine with more than 1,600 missiles and artillery equipment, more than 200 air defense systems, more than 5,200 tanks and armored vehicles, and more than 23,000 drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry estimates that more than 13,500 foreign mercenaries have arrived in Ukraine to fight alongside Kiev. Of these, about 8,500 are Europeans and more than 2,700 are from North and South America, while the rest come from Asia and Africa.
Nearly 6,000 mercenaries were killed, and another 6,000 mercenaries withdrew from the battlefield.
The report said foreign military aid to Ukraine has dropped significantly in recent months. In the United States, Republicans continue to oppose the Biden administration’s efforts to provide an additional $60 billion in aid to Kiev. Meanwhile, Hungary has vetoed a planned four-year, 50 billion euro ($55 billion) EU aid package for Ukraine.
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