Ukraine says it downed three Russian Su-34 warplanes

Ukraine's military says it shot down three Russian fighter jets on Dec 22 (Friday) in the south of the country.

Ukraine's military says it shot down three Russian fighter jets on Dec 22 (Friday) in the south of the country.

Three Su-34 fighter bombers were shot down over Kherson region, the Ukrainian air force announced.

President Volodymr Zelensky thanked the servicemen who had downed the planes, saying the incident had occurred in war-torn Kherson Region.

Moscow has not commented on the claims, but influential Russian bloggers have reported losses.

In his nightly address on Friday, Mr Zelensky said the downing of the planes would make Russian pilots attacking targets in Ukraine aware that "none of them [would] go unpunished".

He also said he had spoken to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about the future delivery of F-16 jets, as well as a new EU support package.