Ukraine says it downed 3 Russian Su-25 fighter jets in just one week

businessinsider:  Ukraine said it shot down three of Russia's Su-25 fighter jets in a single week.

General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, which is leading the country's counteroffensive in the south, said on Monday that his forces had shot down three of the aircraft.

He said all of the strikes happened in Ukraine's southeastern Donetsk region, with the first taking place in the 24 hours before last Wednesday morning, the second in the 24 hours before Saturday night, and the most recent taking place in the 24 hours before Monday evening.

Su-25s are Soviet-era jets. They were designed to fly low and give support to troops. But that low flying also makes them vulnerable to air-defense systems.

Each Su-25s, if it's in good condition, is worth about $11 million, according to Military Today.

Ukraine also uses the jet, but Russia has both a higher number and more advanced models.

Ukrainian soldiers have recorded themselves shooting down Russian Su-25s.

Donetsk, where Ukraine says the planes were downed, is now the scene of some of the most intense fighting in Ukraine, and is where Ukraine has made some of its biggest progress since the start of its counteroffensive in June.

Tarnavskyi said that Ukraine, over the past week, had destroyed multiple Russian ammunition depots, dozens of tanks, antitank missiles, and antiaircraft missiles, and killed thousands of Russian soldiers in the region.

This included 797 Russian soldiers between Friday night and Saturday night, he said.

The fighting in Donetsk includes heavy action near the strategic village of Avdiivka, where UK intelligence said Russia has launched what is likely its biggest offensive operation since January of this year.

But that intelligence, and other analysts, say Russia is making little progress and so far looks unlikely to be able to take the village, with reports also detailing huge Russian tank and vehicle losses.

Tarnavskyi said on Friday that the rate of Russia's troop losses across Donetsk was increasing.