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Ukraine ‘Shoots Down’ Low Flying Su-25 Fighter With A MANPAD; Launches Kharkiv Offensive To Maximize Gains

A Russian Su-25 fighter jet was reportedly shot down in the Balakleya area of the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine, where the Ukrainian forces have launched an offensive to open a new front against the invading Russian army.

A pair of Su-25 fighter jets were first seen conducting airstrikes against Ukrainian positions in Balakleya, a city in Izium district on the north-east side of the Siverskyi Donets river.

Shortly afterward, another video showed the two Russian fighter jets flying very low. One of them was shot down by a missile, reportedly a MANPAD [Man-Portable Air Defense System]

The video is said to have been filmed in the Volkhov Yar area of Balakleya, and the two Su-25 jets can be seen flying about 20 meters from the ground when one of them is hit by a projectile, after which the aircraft can be seen falling.

Some Russian sources suggest that the pilot ejected from the aircraft, while others have reported that the pilot did not have time to eject because the aircraft was flying extremely low.

There were also reports that the pilot managed to land the combat aircraft safely without extending the landing gear. That said, the pilot’s fate remains unknown when writing this report.




Sukhoi Su-25 - Wikipedia
File Image: Sukhoi Su-25 – Wikipedia

Ukraine Launches New Offensive

According to the latest reports, Ukrainian forces have opened up a second counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region that appears to have taken many by surprise, except the Russians.

While various media reports and commentators have characterized this as a ‘sudden’ or ‘surprise’ offensive, Russian Telegram channels have been talking about a Ukrainian build-up in Kharkiv for over a month, which has largely gone unnoticed because of the hype surrounding Ukraine’s counter-offensive in Kherson that began in late July.

A Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov told Reuters that control of Balakleya could enable the Ukraine forces to encircle or partially encircle the Russian-held city of Izium, from where the Russian forces are managing their ongoing offensive on Sloviansk.

Sloviansk and Kramatorsk are the last two Ukrainian-held major cities in Donetsk, which, once captured by the Russian forces, will allow Moscow to declare complete victory in Donbas.

Kherson Offensive Appears To Be Faltering

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue their efforts on their southern offensive to retake the Kherson region, the most ambitious military operation by Kyiv so far in the ongoing Ukraine war, which appears to be faltering, according to the latest reports.

Wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were a part of the ongoing Kherson offensive have revealed in an interview that the Ukrainian forces are taking a heavy toll in terms of lives because of the massive technological advantage enjoyed by the Russian military.

The soldiers said that the Ukrainian forces lacked the artillery required to force the Russian army from its well-entrenched positions. In contrast, the Russian troops pounded them with cluster bombs, phosphorous munitions, and mortars.

“We lost five people for every one they did,” Ihor, a 30-year-old Ukrainian platoon commander, told the Washington Post. Ihor injured his back when the tank he was riding in crashed into a ditch.

Whatever little artillery units there are within the Ukrainian forces are being detected and located by the Russian counter-battery radar systems enabling them to respond with pinpoint artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions.

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