Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
These images purport to show a Russian fighter jet firing on Ukrainian targets.
It is currently unclear where exactly in Ukraine the Russian jet firing its ordnance was located but the images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday, 22nd June, along with a short statement saying that they show “crews of Su-35 fighter jets carry out air strikes on military infrastructure and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The Russian MoD added: “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in the course of a special military operation, continue to deliver precision-guided strikes against military infrastructure and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The crews of Su-35 fighters are also involved in these tasks. Aircraft take off from temporary airfields.
“Before departure, aviation equipment undergoes comprehensive training by specialists of the engineering and technical staff – the operation of all systems of aviation complexes is checked, the suspension of weapons, refueling and preparation of aircraft for departures.
“To destroy the aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroy radar stations, air defence systems, the crews use high-precision guided missiles of various air-to-air and air-to-surface classes.
“Departures for combat are carried out in daylight and at night in all weather conditions.”
We have not been able to independently verify the footage or the claims.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 119th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 22nd June, Russia had lost about 34,230 personnel, 1,496 tanks, 3,614 armoured combat vehicles, 752 artillery units, 239 multiple launch rocket systems, 99 air defence systems, 216 warplanes, 182 helicopters, 614 drones, 137 cruise missiles, 14 warships, 2,543 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 60 units of special equipment.
The Ukrainian military has said that it has launched airstrikes on Zmiinyi Island, which is also known as Snake Island, causing “significant losses” to Russia’s forces there in an operation that it says is ongoing.
Russia has conducted an anti-ship missile exercise in the Baltic Sea amid escalating tensions with NATO member Lithuania after the country blocked the transit of goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Russian Foreign Ministry press secretary Maria Zakharova has said that Moscow’s response to Lithuania banning the transit of goods, sanctioned by the EU, to Kaliningrad will not only be diplomatic but also practical.
Ukrainian forces have said that they have been successfully thwarting fresh Russian attempts to advance in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, but Russian forces have captured several settlements near Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk, with 568 civilians believed to still be sheltering in Sievierodonetsk’s Azot chemical plant.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, has urged locals in the Kherson region to evacuate, to help Ukrainian forces “deoccupy” the area.
British intelligence has claimed that the pro-Russian, so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) may have lost about 55 per cent of its original forces.
President Zelenskyy said that a “historic week” has begun as Kyiv awaits a decision from Brussels regarding its EU candidate status, with the EU expected to approve the application by the end of the week.
This comes after the European Parliament adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 MEPs voted in favour of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
Zelenskyy, speaking to the African Union on Monday, 20th June, also accused Russia of holding Africa “hostage” over grain and fertiliser shortages.
