The Russian's nightmare continues. They lost five airplanes in 10 days
9:12 PM EDT, October 19, 2023
Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in the Tauride direction, confirmed that another Russian Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. This is already the fifth enemy aircraft destroyed by Ukrainians in this region in just 10 days.
A military representative added that the invaders are using attack aircraft to support their ground operations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Russians, whenever possible, try to avoid operating in sectors of the front where they risk being shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense forces.
"The Su-35 and Su-34 aircraft attack from afar because (the pilots of these machines) are afraid (to fly closer to our positions)" - informed Sztupun, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
Su-25s are dropping like flies
According to the latest data from the Ukrainian General Staff, since February 24, 2022, which marks the beginning of the Russian invasion, the enemy has already lost 320 aircraft and 324 combat helicopters.
The Su-25 is a twin-engine attack aircraft from the late 20th century, produced between 1978–2017. It measures almost 52.5 ft in length and is capable of accelerating up to a maximum of approximately 590 mph. This is not an impressive speed for a machine of this category, but in return, the Su-25 offers relatively strong armor.
How is the Su-25 armed?
The standard armament here is represented by the GSz-30-2 cannon, cal. 30 mm, moreover, the Su-25 can carry additional arsenal mounted on 10 pylons under the wings. The total weight of the arsenal carried by this fighter jet can reach up to approximately 9921 pounds. The Russians use, among other things, guided missiles with laser targeting (Kh-25MŁ and Kh-29Ł).
Avdiivka has been a "thorn in the side" of the Russians since 2014, because from this location, Ukrainians can maintain fire control over the occupied Donetsk. - The enemy wants to capture Avdiivka because they believe that this city could be our base for an offensive on Donetsk - noted Ukrainian military affairs expert Oleksiy Hetman in recent days.
Due to the escalation of the situation on the front line around Avdiivka, humanitarian aid deliveries to the city have been suspended - said its military mayor Vitaliy Barabash. According to the local government, the supplies in the city should last for three months.
Barabasz reported that for the past several days there has been "a certain decrease in the level of tension around Avdiivka". There are fewer bombardments and assault actions. Nevertheless, according to him, the Russians will continue their attack on Avdiivka and are preparing forces for this purpose.
