Last night, July 17, a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed near Alchevsk. Judging by the video with fragments of the crashed aircraft, this is a rare Su-34M (M means "modernized"; we are talking about a model with an updated electronic system, high-precision weapons systems and a set of several hanging containers with reconnaissance equipment) with tail number RF-95890 from the 277th bomber aviation regiment of the 303rd mixed aviation division of the 11th Red Banner Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Eastern Military District.
Loyalist thematic Telegram channels spread information that the fighter was shot down by mistake by friendly fire at the moment when the air defense system was “working” on missiles launched by Ukrainians from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. It is also reported that the crew successfully ejected and was evacuated. This information is partially confirmed by Ukrainian sources. The loss of the Russian fighter was recorded by Oryx, one of the most authoritative OSINT resources that collects data on the loss of military equipment during the war in Ukraine.
Most likely, it was about the downed Su-34M in his Telegram channel that VGTRK war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny reported without realizing it:
Last night, the air defense crew of the allied forces destroyed a target in the sky over Alchevsk (LPR). The nature of the target is not clear. The burning ball fell to the ground for more than a minute.
At the end of June, on the territory of Alchevsk, the air defense system of the Russian military “intercepted” itself. A few seconds after launch, the rocket turned around and flew in the opposite direction:
