Reports: 4 Russian Aircraft Crash Near Ukraine Border

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Facts

  • Russian media reported that, on Saturday, two Russian fighter jets — a Su-34 and a Su-35 — and two Mi-8 military helicopters were shot down near the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Bryansk region.1
  • Though the reports are yet to be confirmed by either side, Russian news outlet Kommersant asserted: “The fighters were supposed to deliver a missile and bomb attack on targets in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, and the helicopters were there to back them up — among other things to pick up the ‘Su’ crews if they were shot down.”2
  • While there was no evidence or official response from Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, posted on Twitter that the Russian aircraft had intended to launch a missile-bomb attack on the civilians in the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine but were destroyed by unidentified persons.3
  • Also, though the Russian defense ministry declined to comment, Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region in southern Russia, confirmed a helicopter crashed in Klintsy, damaging five houses and injuring a woman.4
  • Meanwhile, Russia said Sunday that the commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Vyacheslav Makarov, and the deputy commander of the Army Corps for military-political work, Yevgeny Brovko, had been killed in fighting in Bakhmut.5
  • Elsewhere, Germany announced a $3B military aid package including 30 Leopard 1 tanks, 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 200 reconnaissance drones, four additional Iris-T anti-aircraft systems, and more than 200 armored combat and logistics vehicles.6

Sources: 1POLITICO, 2Reuters, 3Al Jazeera, 4The Moscow Times, 5Al Arabiya English, and 6VOA.

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by BBC News. Though Russia may accuse Ukraine of repeatedly hitting targets inside Russia, the truth is Ukrainian forces are not attacking Russian territory — despite having a legitimate right to use force to fully de-occupy its regions currently under Russian control.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Ukraine has previously bombed the Crimean Bridge and attempted to assassinate Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin, so it is not impossible to conceive of it blowing up Russian aircraft. Such acts of terrorism will not be left unanswered.

Predictions