(RoyalPatriot.com )- Russia has been losing a significant number of its aircraft in Ukraine, according to a report from defense and national security website 19FortyFive. Last week, one Ukrainian Army commander reportedly took down a Russia plane without firing a missile.
Yaroslav Melnyk, commander of a Buk M1 anti-aircraft missile battery, who has been involved in the fight in the eastern Kharkiv region since the beginning of the war, has reportedly scored a series of victories, or “kills,” in the skies to keep Russians at bay. He has destroyed a total of 28 targets, including 11 combat aircraft, two helicopters, two cruise missiles, and 13 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In one instance, his unit did not have to fully deploy any of their capabilities with Buk’s illumination radar system, a system that tracks and locks onto a target. After locking onto the aircraft, the Russian pilot reportedly maneuvered away but lost control of the plane and ejected from the cockpit.
“He realized that he had turned from being a hunter to being a target,” Melnyk explained. “This probably stunned the pilot so much that he immediately ejected. The plane crashed.”
As the outlet reports, however, we do not know the location and time of the incident and it has not been independently verified.
Another strange story includes a Valeriy Fedorovych who allegedly shot down a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet with nothing but a rifle in Chernihiv, sending the jet to the ground. The jet is Russia’s most advanced and expensive fighter, estimated to cost around $36 million to make. The country has been hesitant to deploy more after a jet was shot down in Kharkiv in April.
As proof of his accomplishment, Fedorovych allegedly keeps some of the debris from the jet crash in his garage. The Ukrainian State Border Service has reportedly honored the man and awarded him a medal for his service.
Russia has reportedly failed to achieve air superiority, resulting in significant losses to deployed aircraft. Two dozen Sukhoi Su-35s have been lost in fighting so Russia has deployed the older, less accurate Su-24M bombers.
