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.
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Germany's previously cautious position on seizing the assets has shifted recently, partly as a result of fears that if the U.S. completely pulls aid to Ukraine, the burden to support Kyiv will fall disproportionately on Berlin, according to Bloomberg.
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The aid will be the first use of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism developed by NATO members and the United States to coordinate and fund Kyiv's most urgent battlefield needs.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
