This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The report notes that a russian military blogger closely affiliated with russian aviation confirmed the loss of the Su-34 fighter jet on October 12, but did not provide further details about the incident.
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The blogger confirmed that the crew of the russian fighter jet did not survive, but noted that the loss was not related to the strike of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Other military bloggers suggest that the Su-34 could have crashed due to a technical malfunction or human error.
Another russian Telegram channel, allegedly run by russian airborne officers and the staff of the russian Dnepr Grouping of Forces, reported that Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet had allegedly shot down a russian Su-34 while it was dropping FAB glide bombs with unified planning and correction modules (UMPC) at a distance of about 50 kilometers from the frontline.
Later, according to the ISW report, the same Telegram channel responded to information that the Su-34 could have crashed due to a technical malfunction or human error and stated that such hypothetical scenarios highlight the problem of the obsolescence of russian aircraft, as well as pilots' unprofessionalism and exhaustion.
The Telegram channel also accused Kremlin-affiliated military bloggers of lying about the Su-34 crash and preventing russian troops from developing plans to counter the Ukrainian F-16 threat.
It is noted that in March 2024, the same Telegram channel claimed that russian federal censor Roskomnadzor had filed a complaint against the channel for "discrediting" a russian military commander.
"ISW cannot independently confirm the Telegram channel’s claim, but if confirmed, this incident would mark the first Ukrainian shootdown of a russian manned aircraft with a Western-provided F-16 fighter jet," ISW stated.
Earlier Defense Express reported that russia had halted production of Su-57 stealth fighters.
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