Marta Hychko10:28, 10/13/24

This will be the first time that an American aircraft has won a victory over a manned Russian fighter.

The popular Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber, which is run by a former Russian military pilot, reported a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber was shot down yesterday over Ukraine.

The channel published a photo of the downed Su-34. There were no official statements on this matter from the Ministry of Defense of Russia, as well as from Ukraine. However, some pro-Moscow Telegram channels reported that the plane was shot down approximately 50 km from the front line, and that it was done by an American fighter F-16 Fighting Falcon, writes Forbes .

“F-16 showed its teeth”

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have pledged to transfer more than 90 F-16s to Ukraine after US President Joe Biden approved the transfer of the multi-role fighter jets. The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine in August. If the downing is confirmed, it would be the first time that an American aircraft has won a victory over a manned Russian fighter.

Su-34: losses for the Kremlin

The Su-34, a twin-engine two-seat supersonic fighter-bomber developed in the 1980s for the USSR Air Force, officially entered service in 2014. The plane was considered one of the most powerful in Russia’s arsenal, and its loss is a major blow to Moscow, which is struggling to maintain production of new aircraft.

The reaction of Russian media bloggers

Russian media bloggers, who are active in Telegram and often openly criticize the actions of the Russian military, immediately reacted to the loss of the plane. The channel VDV for Honesty and Justice warned that “NATO has sent F-16 hunting” and that such losses will only increase.

It is noteworthy that mil bloggers avoid criticism of dictator Vladimir Putin, focusing their displeasure on the military command. As noted by national security expert Matthew Schmidt, they criticize the army for incompetence, but support Putin, calling for personnel changes in the military structures.

A challenge for the Kremlin

The rapid spread of news via Telegram and other social media is ahead of the Kremlin’s official statements. As Roger Entner, a social media analyst, noted, “Smartphones and social media give everyone a megaphone through which information spreads instantly,” a challenge for totalitarian regimes that rely on controlling information flows.

(c)UNIAN 2024