Russian Su-35S Claims Three Air to Air Kills Over Donetsk: One MiG-29 and Two Su-25s - Reports

A Russian Air Force Su-35S fighter has reportedly claimed three kills against manned Ukrainian combat jets over the territory of the self proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, including a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter near Krasnoploye and two Su-25 ground attack aircraft. Multiple air to air kills against Ukrainian aircraft have been circumstantially attributed to the Su-35 over the course of the war, the most notable incident being the downing of four Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 fighters on the evening of March 5 over Zhytomir in western Ukraine, although the three kills over Donetsk are some of the few where the Su-35 has been named specifically as being responsible by Russian official sources. The Su-35 entered service in the Russian Air Force from 2014, and is prized for its use of triple phased array radars, its extreme manoeuvrability and very high endurance, and its access to a wide range of advanced standoff weapons including the R-37M for air to air combat and the Kh-31 for strike and anti shipping missions. 

Su-35s have played a major role in the war effort in Ukraine, and units were notably redeployed from the Russian Far East to the territory of neighbouring Belarus shortly preceding the commencement of hostilities. While more advanced Su-57 fighters have been deployed for combat in the Ukrainian theatre, these newer are still relegated to an initial operating capability and fielded in very small numbers leaving the Su-35 as the best suited assets for air superiority missions. The Su-57s have instead been allocated less demanding strike and air defence suppression missions, and are not thought to have seen air to air combat. Further Su-35 engagements with Ukrainian MiG-29s remain a possibility as new MiG airframes are delivered from Eastern European NATO members such as Slovakia and Poland, and as more airframes may be brought out of Ukraine’s own reserves. While Ukraine initially fielded higher end Su-27 and Su-24M fighters for respective air to air and strike roles, as these units have been depleted and supplies of parts have become more limited the lower end MiG-29 and Su-25 have been depended on more heavily, as have drones which continue to be delivered by NATO member states in their hundreds.