British Intelligence Reveales What Happened To Russian Su-34

• 20.06.2024, 12:35

The fighter-bomber jet crashed in North Ossetia.

British intelligence has suggested that Russia's loss of a Su-34 fighter-bomber in North Ossetia could have been due to the depletion of aircraft and crews, whose flight time was increased by dispersing aviation and deploying it further away from the front.

This is stated in a UK Defence Ministry intelligence report published on Thursday, June 20.

Intelligence officials note that further successful Ukrainian attacks on airfields from which strike operations are conducted, such as Mozdok, Aktyubinsk and Morozovsk, are likely to force Russia to continue to disperse its aviation further.

According to the report, a series of Ukrainian strikes against targets in Crimea have resulted in destroying critical elements of Russia's S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. These successes highlight that Russia is trying to protect its facilities in Crimea despite the significant economic costs of air defence.

It noted that while it is likely that Russia could replace the systems quickly, further depletion would likely force it to draw equipment from other regions to maintain air defence coverage density or else be forced to accept a reduction in its capabilities, putting its troops in Crimea at increased risk.