Ukraine-Russia war: Ukraine shoots down three Russian fighter jets
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ukraine shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter bombers over the southern front on Friday morning, its air force said.
Russian Telegram accounts said the aircraft were shot down by Patriot anti-aircraft missiles near Ukraine’s Kherson bridgehead over the river Dnipro.
Oleksii Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s security council, said they had been “hunting” the three jets for a “long time”.
“These aircraft interfered and created danger for our soldiers,” he said.
The Su-34 is one of Russia’s most advanced aircraft and can carry out strikes on targets up to 600 miles away with a payload of 12 tons of bombs and missiles.
Each Su-34 is reported to cost somewhere between £28 million and £39 million.
Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk, the Ukrainian air force commander, said soldiers had found the message “die, f----rs” inscribed on shrapnel from a Russian Shahed drone downed overnight. “What a great idea! Here’s our answer,” he wrote on Telegram. “Today at noon on the southern front, three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers were downed! Eternal flight, ‘brothers’!”
According to the Ukrainian military, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 324 warplanes and helicopters.
Russia is thought to have had around 150 Su-34s before it launched the invasion. More than 20 of them were reported as being shot down by Ukraine before Friday’s losses.
Russian Telegram channels published photographs suggesting that at least one pilot managed to eject successfully, with his parachute strewn across a field. The condition of the pilot is unknown.
Ukraine also shot down 24 of 28 Shahed drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack that damaged residential buildings in Kyiv and an infrastructure facility and grain warehouse in southern regions, officials said.
They added that more than two dozen Russian drones targeted Ukraine’s capital, hitting the 24th, 25th and 26th storeys of an apartment building and injuring two people.
In the south, Russia again tried to hit port infrastructure – a frequent target since it pulled out of a UN-brokered deal that allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea.
03:02 PM GMT
Thank you for following today's blog
That is all for today. Thank you for following all the latest developments in Ukraine with The Telegraph.
03:01 PM GMT
Today’s headlines
A Ukrainian television anchor’s Kyiv flat was destroyed by a Russian drone attack overnight which injured two other civilians
The Institute for the Study of War think tank said Ukraine cannot win the war without continued Western aid
Russia threatened to cut diplomatic relations with the US if its frozen assets are seized and given to Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers were filmed firing rockets on Russian positions using a modified BMW 3-series
Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed by a hidden bomb orchestrated by Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man, the Wall Street Journal reported
Russian soldiers were accused by a Ukrainian regional governor of killing a child in front of his family
A German opposition politician said military-age Ukrainian refugees who do not return to fight against Russia should be stripped of their right to claim benefits
The Netherlands said it was preparing to send 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
Ukraine shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter jets
02:51 PM GMT
TV anchor's flat destroyed in Russian drone strike on Kyiv
A Ukrainian television anchor’s Kyiv flat was destroyed by a Russian drone attack overnight.
Andriy Kovalsky, a host on the United News channel, shared images showing his balcony covered in rubble and shards of glass littering his sofa.
No one was injured or killed in the attack.
“Friends, thank you all for your support,” he wrote on Facebook. “Everyone is safe, and that’s good.”
Russian Shahed drones attacked Kyiv for the sixth time this month last night, injuring two civilians.
02:26 PM GMT
Border blockade must end, Ukraine tells Poland
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has told his Polish counterpart that the “unacceptable” month-long blockade of border crossings by disgruntled truckers must end.
“The first to do is to unblock the border because this situation, when our friendly relationship is in the shadow of the blocked border, is unacceptable and harmful,” he said.
The remarks came as Radoslaw Sikorski made his first visit to Ukraine since becoming Poland’s foreign minister.
02:17 PM GMT
Ukraine downs three Russian fighter-bombers
Ukraine shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers over southern Ukraine, the air force said.
Mykola Oleshchuk, the air force commander, said soldiers had found the message “die, f----rs” inscribed on shrapnel from a Shahed drone downed overnight.
“What a great idea! Here’s our answer,” he wrote on Telegram. “Today at noon on the southern front, three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers were downed!
“Eternal flight, ‘brothers’!”
Russian Telegram accounts said the aircraft were shot down by Patriot anti-air missiles near Ukraine’s Kherson bridgehead over the Dnipro river.
02:02 PM GMT
Bodies of 66 dead soldiers return to Ukraine
The bodies of 66 dead soldiers have returned to Ukraine after being handed over by the Red Cross.
Five refrigerated lorries carried the remains from Russian-occupied territory back to their homeland.
They will be identified by the police and forensic experts before being given to their families for burial.
The remains of 94 dead soldiers were returned to Ukraine in the same way last month.
01:35 PM GMT
Zelensky hails Dutch F-16 delivery preparations
Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the Netherlands after it announced it is preparing to send 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
“I spoke with Mark Rutte to thank the Dutch government for its decision to start preparing the initial 18 F-16 jets for their delivery to Ukraine,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
01:22 PM GMT
Netherlands prepares to send 18 F-16s to Ukraine
The Netherlands is preparing to send an initial 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte has said.
“The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine,” he said.
The Dutch F-16s would be the first to be handed over to Ukraine after the Netherlands pledged in August to donate surplus F-16s alongside Denmark, Norway and Belgium.
Ukrainian pilots are currently being trained to fly F-16s in Romania and the United States.
01:01 PM GMT
Four drones shot down near Moscow
Russia has downed five Ukrainian drones flying near Moscow.
“Air defence forces in the urban district of Podolsk repelled an attack from a drone flying towards Moscow,” the capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
Another four were destroyed over the Kaluga region near Moscow, the armed forces said.
Earlier the Russian army said it thwarted several waves of attacks and destroyed five drones over the border region of Bryansk.
12:21 PM GMT
Ukrainian refugees who do not return to fight should be stripped of benefits, says Germany
Military-age Ukrainian men who do not return to fight against Russia should be stripped of their benefits as refugees, a German opposition politician has said.
Christian Democrats (CDU) MP Roderich Kiesewetter said there were 200,000 Ukrainian refugees in Germany who are eligible for enlistment and urged chancellor Olaf Scholz should assist Ukraine’s government in its bid to get some of them to return.
“Germany could also, for example, suspend citizens’ benefits for this group,” he told Der Spiegel.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said on Thursday that he would conscript Ukrainian citizens living abroad into the army.
“It’s not a punishment to stand up for your country and serve it,” he said. “It is an honour.”
12:15 PM GMT
Watch: Modified Ukrainian BMW fires missiles near Bakhmut
11:56 AM GMT
Kremlin repeats foreign ministry threat against asset confiscation
The Kremlin has repeated a threat made by Russia’s foreign ministry on Friday morning against any country which seizes assets belonging to Moscow.
Reports have emerged in recent days that European and American officials are considering handing Russian assets that have been frozen since the start of the war to Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Russia would “never leave in peace” any country that seized its assets and would consider confiscating Western assets in retaliation.
11:40 AM GMT
Uzbekistan summons Russian ambassador after annexation call
Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador on Thursday after a Russian nationalist politician called for its annexation.
Zakhar Prilepin, co-chair of the Just Russia party, said earlier this week that Russia should annex Uzbekistan and other countries where large numbers of migrant workers come from.
The Uzbek foreign ministry told ambassador Oleg Malginov on Thursday that Tashkent was “deeply concerned” about these “provocative” comments.
Mr Malginov said Mr Prilepin’s comments did not reflect the Kremlin’s position.
11:16 AM GMT
Putin temporarily nationalises Russia's biggest car dealer
Vladimir Putin has temporarily nationalised Russia’s biggest car dealership.
Sergei Petrov, the founder of Cyprus-based Rolf, said it would discourage future foreign investment.
The firm was one of the first car dealerships to emerge after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Danish brewer Carlsberg and French dairy giant Danone have also been affected by Moscow’s increasingly common temporary nationalisations of Western-owned assets.
10:47 AM GMT
Russian soldiers 'kill child in front of family'
Russian soldiers have been accused of abducting a 14-year-old Ukrainian and killing him in front of his family by Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
“The situation is terrible there... They killed an eighth grade student in one of the settlements,” Mr Prokudin said. “Just in front of the family.”
The incident is alleged to have occurred on Wednesday in an occupied village in the Kherson region.
No other details have been disclosed.
Russia has not commented.
10:18 AM GMT
Russia launches major drone attack on Kyiv
Russia injured two civilians overnight as it launched its sixth drone attack on Kyiv this month.
Ukrainian air defences shot down 24 of 28 drones launched over the centre, south and west of the country, its air force said.
The two civilians were injured in Ukraine’s capital by a fire when a drone struck a block of flats in the Solomyanskyi district, south of the city centre.
An unspecified “infrastructure facility” in Mykolaiv and a grain depot in Odesa were also set alight by drones, officials said.
It was the second consecutive night that Russian forces launched a swarm of drones over Ukraine.
Moscow is expected to target Ukraine’s energy grid this winter to inflict gas, electricity and water shortages on its civilian population.
10:11 AM GMT
Johnson sends Christmas card to jailed anti-Putin ex-Georgian president
Boris Johnson has sent a Christmas card depicting himself dressed as Father Christmas to Mikheil Saakashvili, the jailed pro-Western former Georgian president.
“Dear Misha, this Christmas we remember your courage and vision in building a free Georgia, and we wish you luck with the next chapter in your people’s extraordinary success,” Britain’s former prime minister wrote in his festive missive to Mr Saakashvili.
Mr Johnson signed off the message with the phrase “Sakartvelos Gaumarjos”, meaning “Victory to Georgia”.
Mr Saakashvili, imprisoned on abuse of power charges, appeared gaunt and weak during a court hearing in July, having lost more than half his body weight since he was detained in October 2021.
Supporters including Volodymyr Zelensky say he has been the target of a Kremlin-orchestrated poisoning plot while behind bars.
David Kezerashvili, Georgia’s former defence minister, said “Western leaders risk handing Vladimir Putin a spectacular victory if they don’t act swiftly to end this unwarranted detention”.
Georgia’s ruling party is seen as sympathetic to the Kremlin and has been criticised for its treatment of the former president.
10:02 AM GMT
Prigozhin was killed 'by Putin's right-hand man'
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in August was orchestrated by Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The American newspaper cited Western and former Kremlin intelligence officials as saying Nikolai Patrushev, the Russian president’s longest-standing ally, was behind the downing of Mr Prigozhin’s private jet.
It said a small bomb was placed under one of the plane’s wings during a safety inspection.
Mr Patrushev was director of the FSB between 1999 and 2008.
09:19 AM GMT
Ukraine 'expands Dnipro bridgehead'
Ukrainian soldiers have expanded their bridgehead over the Dnipro river, the army’s general staff has said.
“Despite failures, Russian forces persisted with their intention to dislodge our units from their positions and carried out 12 unsuccessful assault operations,” it said.
“The Russian forces received a worthy rebuff and retreated with losses.”
Ukraine has held positions on the left bank of the river since establishing a foothold there in November.
08:34 AM GMT
Ukraine fires rockets on Russia using modified BMW
Ukrainian soldiers have used a modified BMW 3-series to fire rockets on Russian positions near Bakhmut.
Men from the 114th Territorial Defense Brigade were filmed launching a salvo of 122m Grad missiles on Russian soldiers to the east of Klischiivka in eastern Ukraine.
The four-door saloon has been pimped out with a multiple launch rocket system affixed to the rear bumper.
08:17 AM GMT
Russia threatens to end diplomatic relations with US if assets seized
Russia has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with the United States if Washington gives Ukraine its frozen assets.
Sergei Ryabkov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, warned the US to “not act under an illusion... that Russia is clinging with both hands to diplomatic relations with that country”.
Reports have emerged in recent days that European and American officials are considering giving Ukraine Russian assets that have been frozen since the start of the war.
John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, said on Thursday that “it is too early to talk” about doing so.
08:01 AM GMT
Western aid the only way for Ukraine to win, says ISW
Continued Western military aid is the only way Ukraine can defeat Russia, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.
It said the balance of the war “could readily be tipped in either direction” by the increase or cessation of new weapons supplies,
“ISW has assessed that the collapse of Western aid would likely lead to the eventual collapse of Ukraine’s ability to hold off the Russian military,” it said.
The think tank also confirmed a number of Russian advances near Kreminna, Bakhmut and Avdiivka as a recent pattern of Russian battlefield success continues.
“Continued Western security assistance … is the only course of action at this time that can make the Russian failure to achieve Putin’s maximalist objectives in Ukraine permanent,” it said.
07:53 AM GMT
‘Military operation’ in Ukraine is not a war, says Orban
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not a war, Viktor Orban has claimed.
The Hungarian prime minister referred to the conflict as a “military operation” –Vladimir Putin’s preferred term – during an end-of-year press conference.
“There was no declaration of war between the two countries,” he said. “When Russia declares war then there will be war.
“We should be happy that war was not declared, because then there will be general mobilisation in Russia. I don’t wish this on anyone.”
Mr Orban has repeatedly referred to the war in Ukraine as a “military operation”, not a war.
07:48 AM GMT
Pictured: Russian drone attack damage
07:43 AM GMT
Finland agrees new £91m aid package for Ukraine
Finland has announced a new £91million ($116m) military aid pakacge for Ukraine.
The Nordic country’s defence ministry did not disclose what would be delivered “for operational reasons and in order to guarantee the safe delivery of the aid”.
“Finland is committed to supporting Ukraine in both the short and long term,” defence minister Antti Hakkanen said.
The country has given £1.39 billion ($1.76bn) of military aid to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.
