Russia claims shooting down four Ukrainian military aircraft

This comes just two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Kyiv had downed three Russian fighter-bomber jets.

According to the daily dispatch from Russia's defense ministry, the air defense units targeted and shot down three Su-27 fighter aircraft and one Su-24 tactical bomber in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions of southeastern Ukraine. The dispatch did not provide further details regarding the circumstances of the incidents.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy had previously declared the downing of three Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft on the southern front, considering it a success in the ongoing 22-month-old conflict. The commander of Ukraine's air force also confirmed the destruction of the Russian planes.

Tensions remain high in the region as both sides report engagements and clashes in the volatile situation. (ILKHA)