Ukraine appears to have downed the first Russian Su-35S Flanker-E since the start of Russia’s invasion in late February.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the “4++ generation” variant of the Su-27 fighter was taken out by Ukrainian air defenses on Sunday, without providing much information about the event.
It did say that the aircraft was downed in the Kharkiv region, while observers and videos posted online indicate the jet went down near Izium.
Russian aircraft reportedly shot down near Izyum pic.twitter.com/9y4DTZt68H
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 3, 2022
The pilot survived the crash and was captured by Ukrainian forces. Attempts by Russia to evacuate the pilot have been unsuccessful, according to unconfirmed reports.
The Su-35S is a fairly new variant of a Soviet-design fighter, having performed its first flight in 2011. The twin-engine, supermaneuverable aircraft was also used by Russia in Syria.
