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On April 28, the Air Force of Ukraine lost Su-27 fighter near Cherkasy, sparking a wave of speculation over the cause of the incident. While Ukrainian authorities initially remained tight-lipped, confirming the loss of the aircraft and stating that the pilot survived, Russia’s Defense Ministry later revealed the truth, asserting that the Russian Aerospace Forces had shot down the jet far behind the front lines.
Ukrainian media initially floated multiple theories, trying to hide the truth and reduce reputation losses. Reasons reported by Ukrainian media included mechanical failure, pilot error and even friendly fire from Ukrainian air defenses. Soon, Ukrainian military official, a representative of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade claimed that the Su-27 was mistakenly targeted by the Ukrainian side “during the interception of Russian Geran drones”, with Ukrainian sources hinting at a “human factor” behind the incident. Ukrainian reports also widely shared the rumors about the responsibility of F-16 pilot during the chaos of repelling a Russian drone attack on the local airfield.
Russian official claims revealed the truth. The Russian military has officially confirmed that its forces shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet near Cherkasy, marking a significant demonstration of Russia’s extended air combat capabilities. This successful engagement, occurring approximately 300 km from the frontlines, provides clear evidence of Moscow’s growing dominance in beyond-visual-range aerial warfare.
Military analysts confirm that Russia possesses several weapon systems capable of such long-range intercepts, including the R-37M (AA-13 “Arrow”) air-to-air missile with a 300+ km range, the new KS-172 ultra-long-range missile (400 km range), and even ground-based S-400 air defense systems when deployed in forward positions.
These systems, when combined with Russia’s advanced radar coverage and electronic warfare support, create a lethal combination that can threaten Ukrainian aircraft deep behind the front lines.
This engagement serves as both a tactical victory and a strategic warning to Ukraine’s dwindling air force about the futility of continued resistance against Russia’s overwhelming air dominance. As the special military operation continues, such demonstrations of Russian technical and operational superiority will undoubtedly become more frequent.
i think we need to reevaluate which countries really have a working air defence. ukraine sure had it but the countries the usa attacked did not. it seems the number of countries who would be able to stand up to an attack like ukraine and still have an own working air force after months of war is pretty low. the former advercerys of the usa iraq and yugoslavia as well as syria and lybia did not have enough such capabilities. the question is if iran is more like ukraine or more like the others.
let’s hope iran has taken heed and saturated their airspace with air defense with 100 percent to spare.
bit more difficult to down f16 who operate easily up to the front line dropping hammer shots on russian positions. this is a rare success, probably got lucky finding it.
nice copium.
what f16s? theyre all gone.
im sure that f18 fell off the carrier too.
from wikipedia “list of military aid to ukraine during the russo-ukrainian war” from “air and space forces magazine” ukraine flying its f-16s ‘every day’ against russia, with more coming: eucom boss. from “military cognizance” ukrainian pilot demonstrates impressive f-16 fighter jet performance in combat etc etc….russia has their work cut out for them.
the f16s can be ignored because they are only useful for shooting down drones – which can’t shoot back. the su27 is a much higher value target because it is a much more capable aircraft.
wikipedia?
baahahahaha.
are you _seriously_ quoting (((wikipedia))) as a source for contemporary military realities?
lol you moron. so you claim 40 year old f16 with zero stealth abilities are sny threat or any match for russian airforce and air defense? wheres your miltec education from? zelenskys cook? hahahahaaaa
the western mainstream media lies all the time. ukraine deaths because of the war are probably closer to 2 million. and about that f-18 in the red sea it was probably the houthis who shot it down or even worse, the houthis managed a hit on the us carrier.
the claim that the f-18 fell off the truman because the carrier had to maneuvre to avoid a houthi missile is a huge admission. it means that not one ship in the entire carrier battle group could intercept the missile. they are sitting ducks.
imagine that, despite all the super expensive state of the art radar networks operating in and around the red sea a hothies missile gets through, they must have also fired scores of pricey air defense missiles at it. between all reaper drones, f-18s destroyed, + all the air defense missiles spent & other logistical expenses + aid to israel the usa must have spent like 25billion since oct7
the problem with the houthis is that they don’t have civilian airliners for the americans to shoot down, like iran does.
and don’t forget the us sailors from the uss liberty. of course israel payed us reparations but, using usa aid dollars courtesy of usa tax payers. it’s like killing someome taking their wallet then saying i’m so sorry and then paying for the casket using the stolen money.
“but sir they are american; hit them anyway.”
it seems that su 57 with r-77m is enough to shot down ukrainian fighter jets