The Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces was shot down close to Izium, in the eastern part of Ukraine, around 120 kilometers to the southeast of Kharkiv, reported Ukrainian media.
According to Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian military aircraft went down on April 3, 2022, after being hit by a missile of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The fighter caught on fire immediately and fell down.
Anton Gerashchenko shared a picture of the downed plane on social media and confirmed that the pilot ejected from the aircraft but was later detained.
“A Su-35 shot down today near Izyum,” Gerashchenko wrote. “The damage [to Russians] is 50 million dollars.”
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, the military shot down 143 aircraft and 134 helicopters of Russian troops.
The Su-35 is the latest version of the Su-27 Flanker family. It is a multi-role fighter with an emphasis on air superiority. The aircraft entered service in December 2012 within the Russian Air Force.