Russian bomber downed: Kiev
Although Moscow authorities said the jet landed in a sparsely populated region due to a malfunction during a combat mission, Ukraine’s air force claimed on Friday to have shot down a Russian strategic bomber.
It was not possible to independently verify either assertion. Moscow has either remained silent or denied Ukrainian charges that they shot down Russian jets throughout their more than two-year conflict.
Meanwhile, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed the almost daily calls from Kyiv authorities for more air defense systems from the West, citing Israel’s successful deterrent of a recent Iranian strike as justification. Although Ukraine’s air force is much weaker than Russia’s, advanced missile systems supplied by Kyiv’s Western allies pose a serious danger to Russian aircraft. — AP
