Ukrainian air defense units have shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber that attempted to strike the city of Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
In a statement released by the military, officials reported that the aircraft was destroyed as it conducted bombing operations in the region.
“At around 04:00 on September 25, 2025, a Russian Su-34 aircraft was shot down in the Zaporizhzhia sector while carrying out terrorist attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhia, using guided aerial bombs,” the General Staff said.
The strike attempt came amid a wave of intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, with Zaporizhzhia among the hardest hit in recent days. Russian forces have repeatedly used Su-34s — a twin-seat, supersonic strike aircraft — to deliver guided bombs against urban targets, often from outside the reach of short-range air defenses.
Russia has not officially confirmed the loss of the aircraft, but several pro-Kremlin Telegram channels later acknowledged both the downing and the loss of its crew. Independent sources cited by Ukrainian media suggested that the jet may have been intercepted by a Patriot surface-to-air missile system, although no official confirmation of the weapon used has been released.
The Su-34 is a key element of Russia’s tactical strike capability, capable of carrying a wide range of precision-guided munitions. Its loss over the front line underscores the growing risks to Russian tactical aviation as Ukraine strengthens its air defense network with Western-supplied systems and improves interception tactics.
Zaporizhzhia has become a frequent target of Russian aerial attacks, with guided bombs used to strike infrastructure and civilian areas alike.