UKR Engages 2 RU Warplanes, Downing 1 Su-34; St. Petersburg Buildings Damaged in Fiery Explosion; Drones Attacked the RU Port of Bronka; Traffic Shut Down on Crimean Bridge Amid Reports of Explosions; UKR Repels 56 Attacks in 6 Dir; UKR Aircraft Strike 13 RU Troop Concentration Areas, LIVE UPDATES and LOTS MORE

By admin On Mar 2, 2024

Air Force: Ukraine engages two Russian warplanes, downing one Su-34 bomber:

Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk says Ukrainian missileers engaged two Russian aircraft in the east, downing one Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft, which raises reported recent Russian plane losses to 15.

While Russia continues aerial assaults in eastern Ukraine using guided air bombs dropped from tactical aviation aircraft, the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, announced that they used surface-to-air missiles to shoot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft.

As Russia activated the use of aircraft in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported 13 downed Russian warplanes in February, including 10 Su-34 fighter-bombers, 2 Su-35 fighter jets, and one A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft. Oleshchuk reported the destruction of another Russian Su-34 near Mariupol, bringing the claimed tally of downed Russian aircraft to 15 in 31 days.

However, Ukraine’s skies remain under threat as their Air Force lacks sufficient weapons, and the commander urgently requests additional defensive systems:

“Just now, there was a combat use of anti-aircraft guided missiles against two enemy aircraft, Su-34 and Su-35. We expect confirmation of the desired result! It is becoming increasingly difficult for the occupiers to fly, and we need more systems, more weapons, to clear our sky!” Oleshchuk wrote at about 17:00 on Telegram.

Two hours later, the commander updated:

“The Air Command “East” confirms the downing of a Su-34 fighter-bomber. Unfortunately, only one,” Oleshchuk wrote, adding: “19:00 – the sky is clear! This is the result of the work of the Air Forces!”

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St. Petersburg buildings damaged in fiery explosion from suspected Ukrainian drone strike:

A massive explosion damaged pair of apartment buildings in St. Petersburg Saturday in what local media reports attributed to a Ukrainian drone attack.

No deaths were reported following the early morning devastation in Russia’s second-largest city, where President Vladimir Putin was born, officials said.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed two buildings were damaged in an “incident.”

“The glazing of the balconies of two houses was partially damaged,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. “The residents of the affected apartments have been evacuated.”

Shocking footage published by Russian-language Telegram channel Mash showed the moment an object smashed into the five-story apartment complex, causing a bright flash of light before debris and fragments burst into the air and shower down.

Additional footage showed the wreckage of the building’s mangled balconies, while flames continued to burn. In another clip, a powerful explosion could be heard, along with car alarms blaring.

A drone crashing into the apartment buildings may have caused the damage, Mash and Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The drone strike likely was targeting the Ruchi oil depot northeast of St. Petersburg, and less than a mile north of the site of Saturday’s explosion in the Krasnogvardeysky district, Mash said.