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A part of destroyed Su-25 Russian military aircraft is displayed at the National Museum of Military History of Ukraine in Kyiv on May 8, 2022. (Photo: STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Ukrainian forces have shot down yet another Russian Su-25 fighter jet in the embattled Donetsk Oblast, the Khortytsia group of forces reported on July 7.

The Russian jet was downed in the Porkovsk sector by the anti-aircraft gunners of the separate mechanized brigade named after General Lieutenant Mark Bezruchko and is now “burning in the steppes of Ukrainian Donbas,” the military reported.

The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed "Frogfoot" by NATO, is a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft that provides close air support for Russian ground troops.

Russia is carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, including in Donetsk Oblast, after it captured the city of Avdiivka in February.

Last month, Ukraine downed at least two Su-25 jets on June 10 and June 28.

In May, Ukraine claimed that it destroyed Su-25s on May 25, May 23,  May 4, May 11, May 13, and May 18.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on July 7 that Russia has lost 360 airplanes and 326 helicopters in its war against Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The General Staff's figure could not be independently verified.

Russia’s Su-57 – hype vs. reality
In the latest blow to Russia’s military prestige, Ukraine this week claimed to have for the first time struck at least one – and possibly two – of Moscow’s cutting-edge, fifth-generation fighter jets, the Su-57. The aircraft were reportedly damaged after a strike on the Akhtubinsk airfield in the A…

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News Feed

10:13 AM  (Updated: )

Russian drone strike on civilian bus in Sumy kills 9, injures 7.

Russia launched a drone strike on Sumy Oblast in the early morning of May 17, killing nine people and injuring four more. The drone targeted a shuttle bus that was transporting civilians near the city of Bilopillia at 6:17 a.m. local time.
6:20 AM

Russian economic growth slowing down, Rosstat reports.

Russia's economy is experiencing a sharp slowdown in growth, according to a report released by the governmental statistics agency Rosstat on May 16. GDP only grew by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2025 – a notable decline from 4.5% growth in the previous quarter and 5.4% in the same period last year.
6:57 PM

With Ukraine’s Peaky Blinders chasing Russian soldiers near Pokrovsk.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with one of Ukraine's most effective drone units, "Peaky Blinders." As Russian forces continue to push across the front line, Peaky Blinders are tasked with stopping Russian assaults near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast.
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