Ukraine shoots down three Russian Su-34 fighters

KYIV, Dec 23 (AFP): Ukraine's military said it has shot down three Russian fighter-bombers in the south of the country. Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Su-34 jets were downed around noon on Friday.

In his announcement he noted a message found on a downed Russian drone which read "Die, bitches". "Great idea! Here is our response!" he said on Telegram. In his nightly address on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the soldiers who shot down the Russian fighters in the Kherson region.

"It's the gain of our Air Force and the direct action of the Odesa Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Thank you, guys!" he said. "And may every Russian pilot be well aware of our response to every Russian killer-none of them will go unpunished."

The Kremlin has not commented on the Ukrainian claims but Russian war blogger Fighterbomber said there had been losses, likely due to the Patriot missile air-defence system.