“During the performance of flight missions, fighter pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces performed the detection and interception of air targets and destroyed the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The Su-35 jet fighter is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defense fighter.

They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable aircraft, designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant.

The type was originally developed by the Soviet Union from the Su-27 and was known as the Su-27M.

It incorporated canards and a multi-function radar giving it multi-role capabilities. The first prototype made its maiden flight in June 1988. (ILKHA)