This fact could indeed serve as confirmation, based on open sources, of recent losses in russian aviation. As downed russian aircraft usually crash onto enemy territory, visually verifying the destruction of a specific enemy aircraft is often difficult.
The OSINT researchers of the Dnipro resource wrote about this on their Telegram channel.
Read more: Ukraine’s Air Force Shot Down Another russian Su-34: Currently No Enemy Aircraft Is Observed Near Frontline
In their publication, researchers highlighted that the decline in the number of russian combat aviation sorties aimed at supporting their troops on the front lines serves as the most compelling evidence of the effectiveness of Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners. In February 2024 alone, they successfully downed a total of 15 enemy aircraft, notably including 11 Su-34s. Even if visually only two such episodes were recorded.
Thanks to satellite image monitoring, we can see that between February 17 and March 2, 2024, at least one Su-34 did not return to the Primorsko-Akhtarsk air base (Krasnodar Krai, russia), presumably shot down near the temporarily occupied Mariupol. Interestingly, aircraft of this type were not based at this airfield before the full-scale invasion of the russian federation.
At the Krymsk air base, the picture looks even more interesting – at least four Su-34s did not return to this airfield, and aircraft of this type began to be based here only after the start of the full-scale war.
The situation at the Morozovsk air base is particularly interesting; it is the regular base for the 559th bomber aviation regiment of the russian Aerospace Forces, equipped with Su-34s. Here, the images show the loss of at least one Su-34, although most of the aircraft that are supposed to be at this airfield are visible in the images.
Also, an interesting point is that from the Khanskaya air base, the invaders had to relocate closer to the front line about eight Su-34 aircraft, presumably to cover the losses suffered earlier.
Read more: OSINT Analysts Named the Coordinates of the Sinking of russian Sergey Kotov Patrol Ship
