Reuters this morning, May 14, quoted information from Kommersant (Russia) saying that a Su-34 fighter-bomber, a Su-35 fighter jet and two Mi-8 helicopters formed a raid group but were "shot down almost simultaneously" in an ambush in Bryansk province, bordering northeastern Ukraine.
"According to preliminary data ... the fighters were supposed to carry out a missile and bomb attack on targets in Ukraine's Chernihiv province, and helicopters were there to provide support, possibly to pick up the "Su" crews if they were shot down," Kommersant wrote.
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TASS also reported that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet crashed in the same area, but did not specify the cause. TASS also quoted an emergency services official as saying that a fire in the helicopter engine caused the crash near the city of Klintsy in Bryansk region, about 40 kilometers from the border. TASS did not mention the Su-35, or a second helicopter, according to Reuters.
A Russian Su-35
Meanwhile, a video posted on the Telegram messaging app channel, Voyenniy Osvedomitel, which supports Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, shows a helicopter flying high in the sky exploding and then crashing to the ground in flames. According to accompanying comments, the video shows an Mi-8 being shot down by a missile. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the video.
Voyenniy Osvedomitel said that "it is very possible that the enemy organized an ambush with air defense forces that had been moved to a border area close enough to attack our group". Kommersant reported that all four crew members were killed.
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Kommersant provided no evidence for its claim that the planes and helicopters had been shot down, but several pro-war military bloggers have made similar claims, according to Reuters.
Late on May 13, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said a Ukrainian drone had struck a food factory in the town of Starodub, near the Ukrainian border, damaging the factory’s roof. Bogomaz wrote on Telegram that there were no casualties in the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Kommersant 's report. There was also no official response from Ukraine, which typically refuses to comment on reports of attacks inside Russia.
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However, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Twitter that the incident was "Justice... and instant retribution," according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced on the evening of May 13 that Russian air defense forces had intercepted three high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and destroyed 18 drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the previous 24 hours, according to TASS News Agency. There is currently no information about Ukraine's response.
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