Ukrainian forces downed a Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft on Friday, Jul 19, according to the country’s Khortytsia group of forces operating in the eastern Donetsk region.
The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft guns from the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade as it attacked Ukrainian frontline positions near the town of Pokrovsk, the forces’ statement posted on Telegram said.
The Soviet-designed Sukhoi armored aircraft has been used extensively by both sides since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The single-seat aircraft is intended to provide close air support to ground forces and can be armed with bombs, rockets and missiles. Their close-range ground support role often brings Su-25 crew into the range of anti-aircraft defenses, including shoulder-fired weapons carried by infantry.
“Thanks to the accuracy, skill and professionalism of our anti-aircraft fighters, today the Russian aviation has decreased by one combat aircraft—the Su-25 attack aircraft,” the Khortytsia group wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian military said on X, formerly Twitter: “Here we go again! Ukrainian warriors shot down another Russian Su-25 jet in the Donetsk region. Great work!”
Newsweek cannot independently verify the claim and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Ukraine claims to have downed 362 Russian aircraft since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of the country on February 24, 2022. The Oryx open-source intelligence blog lists 113 confirmed destroyed or damaged Russian aircraft in the same period, among them 31 Su-25s.
A Russian Su-25 attack plane takes off from an airfield in the Krasnodar region of Russia in 2015. Ukraine said it shot down a Russian Su-25 jet near Pokrovsk on Friday.
Pokrovsk—some 30 miles northwest of the occupied city of Donetsk, a key hub for the Russian military and its separatist allies since its seizure in 2014—has become one of the hottest portions of the eastern front in recent months.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Sunday that the situation around the town and in the wider Toretsk sector “is tense.”
“Fighting continues in three locations near Pivnichne and Niu-York, and 12 attacks have already been repelled,” it added.
Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia group, told the Kyiv Post on Wednesday that Russia is preparing to reinforce its units in the Toretsk sector as Moscow continues to grind against Ukrainian defenses there.
“Recent Russian assaults have involved infantry units ranging from small squads to companies supported by bomber aircraft,” Voloshyn said. “Combat with the enemy is ongoing on the outskirts of Toretsk. The occupying forces are attempting to capture the city despite significant personnel and equipment losses.”
The loss of Toretsk and surrounding villages like Niu-York would expose the southern flank of the Ukrainian defenders in the city of Chasiv Yar, some 15 miles north of Toretsk.