Russian Su-35 Jet Shot Down Claims Ukrainian Air Force

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that it shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet over Russia’s Kursk Oblast on the morning of June 7.

The Su-35, one of Russia’s multirole fighter aircraft, was reportedly downed during ongoing cross-border military activity. While no operational details were disclosed, Ukraine’s General Staff said this latest loss brings the total number of Russian aircraft destroyed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 to 414.

Kursk Oblast, which lies along the northeastern Ukrainian border, has remained a key zone of conflict since Ukraine’s cross-border incursion in August 2024. That operation marked the first major foreign military penetration into Russian territory since World War II.

Russia has since attempted to retake control of the area. Reinforced by North Korean troops, Moscow launched a large-scale counteroffensive in March 2025, which pushed Ukrainian forces out of most of the previously captured territory, including the town of Sudzha.

The downing of the Su-35 follows a series of recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft. On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated drone campaign targeting Russian airfields deep inside Russian territory. Kyiv claims the attack inflicted $7 billion in damage, disabling over a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet.

According to open-source intelligence groups, at least 21 Russian planes were damaged or destroyed in that operation. The SBU said it deployed 117 drones, launched from hidden trucks, which struck air bases in at least four Russian regions. The targeted facilities reportedly included bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, which have been used to launch cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.