A Russian Su-34 fighter jet in the sky over Kubinka airfield in Moscow Oblast in Russia on Aug. 29, 2020. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Mihail Tokmakov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces shot down another Su-34 attack plane, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on Feb. 29, hours after Ukraine's Air Force reported that one Su-34 had been downed overnight.
The first Su-34 was downed at 1 a.m. local time (EET) in the eastern direction, according to the Air Force.
Another Su-34 jet was downed at around 9 a.m. local time. The planes were downed "in the Avdiivka and Mariupol directions," Syrskyi said.
Russia has lost almost a dozen Su-34 aircraft in February alone, according to the Air Force. Each plane is estimated to cost around $36 million each.
Two Russian A-50aircraft were also downed by Ukrainian forces in January and February, each costing around $330 million.
"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Feb. 28. He also said the bombing of Iran would continue for at least the next week.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur examines why U.S.-led peace negotiations have so far failed to end Russia’s war, one year after the now-infamous Oval Office clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Belgium has detained the Ethera oil tanker linked to Russia's "shadow fleet," carrying out the operation jointly with French forces, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during the final week of winter, Russia launched over 1,720 attack drones, nearly 1,300 guided aerial bombs, and more than 100 missiles of various types against Ukraine.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said he was confident the missiles did not target British military bases, but added that the strikes highlighted the "indiscriminate" nature of Iran's retaliatory campaign.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that "the most intense operation against Israel and the United States is set to begin," while state outlets warned that "revenge is coming."
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social, confirming U.S. invovlement in the strikes.
"At past negotiations, the Russian side directly said that they would accept the security guarantees offered to Ukraine by the U.S.," the head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Feb. 28.
"The reason for the current events is precisely the violence and arbitrariness of the Iranian regime, in particular the murders and repressions against peaceful protesters, which have become particularly large-scale in recent months," the Foreign Ministry said in its Feb. 28 statement.
Among the companies sanctioned are Russian DPD service and Freightlink, joint-stock companies registered in Russia, according to a document attached to a decree published on the Office's website, signed by Zelensky on Feb. 27.
Russia and Iran have deepened cooperation in recent years, with Tehran supplying drones and other military equipment used by Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
