Conflicting reports surround the loss of a Russian Su-34 fighter and the death of its two pilots, initially attributed to a Ukrainian shootdown over the Black Sea, near Snake Island.
Ukrainian authorities and information channels indicated that the aircraft was shot down during a combat mission in the south of the country, where Russian tactical aviation frequently operates in support of guided bomb and missile strikes.
However, as hours passed, new information released by open Russian and Ukrainian sources suggested a different version of the incident. According to these updated reports, the Su-34 may not have been shot down in Ukrainian territory but instead may have crashed in the Russian region of Kursk. Despite the divergence regarding the location and cause of the loss, the deaths of the two crew members were confirmed by channels linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense and pro-Kremlin outlets.
The Su-34, a long-range strike aircraft and one of Russia’s main platforms used in the war, has been widely used in missions against Ukrainian positions and infrastructure, often operating at safe distances from the front lines. Amid the speculation, some sources claimed that the plane was hit by a Patriot system supplied by the West, although there has been no official confirmation of the weapon involved.
This incident adds to the ongoing attrition of Russia’s Su-34 fleet since the start of the conflict. According to the Oryx project, at least 40 aircraft of this model have been confirmed as destroyed since 2022. The episode also highlights the difficulty of independently verifying incidents that occur in sensitive areas of the conflict and the uncertainty that often surrounds reports of aerial losses on both sides.
Source: Defence Blog | Photo: X @front_ukrainian | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
❗️Russian channels are claiming that today a 🇷🇺Russian fighter-bomber Su-34 was shot down by a 🇺🇦Ukrainian Patriot SAM system near Snake Island. The crew was killed. pic.twitter.com/lZzEiIKkkr
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 28, 2026
