In a surprising turn of events, a Russian S-400 air defense system reportedly fired upon and struck one of Moscow’s own advanced fighter jets, the Su-35, over annexed Crimea.
The incident, as reported by the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, occurred near Krasnoperekopsk, a town in Crimea's northern region. The damaged Su-35 was said to have managed an emergency landing at a military airfield in Melitopol, located in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
Also read
This case of friendly fire, which has not been officially confirmed by Russian authorities, adds to a series of similar incidents involving Russian forces.
According to data compiled and analyzed by Newsweek as of late August 2023, over a fifth of Russia's known manned aircraft and helicopter losses in the ongoing war in Ukraine since February 2022 have been self-inflicted.
Notably, this isn’t the first instance of a Russian Su-35 being downed by friendly fire. In October 2023, the British Defense Ministry indicated that Russian air defense forces likely shot down one of their own Su-35 jets near Tokmak, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The report of the incident comes alongside another mishap where a Russian aircraft accidentally dropped a missile on a village in Russia's western Voronezh region, leading to the destruction of several homes.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged this incident, stating that an emergency release of aviation munitions occurred over the village of Petropavlovka, causing significant damage. An investigation into the circumstances of this incident is currently underway.
