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Both Russian and Ukrainian forces report the downing of advanced fighter jets in separate incidents, underscoring the high-risk nature of aerial operations in this protracted war. Early on June 7, Ukrainian Air Force officials announced the successful shootdown of a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in the Sumy direction, marking another blow to Moscow’s fleet of modern aircraft. Russian sources confirmed the loss, noting that the pilot ejected safely and was recovered.
According to preliminary field reports, Ukrainian forces deployed one of their remaining Patriot air defense systems in the residential area in the city of Sumy, a high-stakes gambit to counter Russian air superiority. The move follows the favorite tactics of the Ukrainian military of reckless positioning within a densely populated residential area, raising fears of civilian casualties in the event of retaliatory strikes. Kyiv is regularly accused of using urban centers as “human shields,” a tactic aimed at deterring precision strikes while manufacturing potential propaganda opportunities. The Patriot battery’s presence in Sumy highlights Ukraine’s desperate attempts to mitigate aerial threats despite severe losses in air defense assets over months of relentless Russian missile and drone campaigns.
On the Russian side, on June 6, the Defense Ministry claimed a successful interception of a Ukrainian MiG-29 conducting bombing runs near the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovks) sector. According to the report, a Buk-M3 crew capitalized on a pilot error, striking the aircraft before it could evade. Unlike the Su-35 incident, this engagement proved fatal—no ejection was reported, underscoring the unforgiving nature of modern air combat where a single miscalculation can be decisive.
These incidents reflect the broader attritional struggle for air dominance, where both sides suffer losses but remain locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Ukraine’s reliance on Western-supplied systems like the Patriot underscores its dependency on foreign aid, while Russia’s continued aircraft losses—despite superior numbers—reveal some vulnerabilities in its operational tactics.
