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Russia's military lost a total of five aircraft in a spate of reported crashes over Russian territory close to the Ukrainian border, according to Kyiv.
Three helicopters, in addition to two fighter jets, were shot down on Saturday, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat told Ukrainian television on Sunday.
Appearing to deny Ukrainian involvement, Ukrainian media reports suggest the spokesperson said Russia's own air defenses were responsible for the multiple aircraft crashes. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment via email.
On Saturday, Russian state media reported the downing of multiple aircraft near the Ukrainian border. Russian outlet Kommersant reported that a Su-34 and a Su-35 fighter jet were "shot down" over the border region as well as two Mi-8 helicopters. The fighter jets "were supposed to deliver a missile and bomb attack on targets in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine," according to Kommersant.
The aircraft were downed "almost simultaneously," the outlet reported, saying the crews onboard the aircraft had been killed. This has not been officially confirmed by Russian authorities.
Bryansk Regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram on Saturday that a helicopter had crashed in the Bryansk town of Klintsy and that one woman had been injured. Bogomaz made no reference to any other reported crashes in Bryansk. Russian state news agency TASS said engine problems were to blame, citing Russian authorities.
On Saturday, Russian outlet Readovka posted that four aircraft had been downed, including two Mi-8 helicopters, with nine crew members killed. It is a "huge loss for Russian aviation," the outlet wrote on social media.
In an operational update on Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry did not mention these reports but said Russia had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 jet in the eastern Donetsk region.
Footage has emerged on social media, including on Russian, Kremlin-affiliated Telegram channels, claiming to show the crash site of a Mi-8 helicopter, although Newsweek could not independently verify the veracity of this footage.
This comes as Ukraine's military said Russia launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks on sites across the country, coinciding with Ukraine's performance in the U.K. at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Moscow's armed forces had "delivered a strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons" in the western city of Ternopil, as well as in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more