Russian Defense Ministry: 4 Ukrainian warplanes, 2 helicopters, 8 drones downed

MOSCOW. March 7 (Interfax) - The Russian Armed Forces downed another four warplanes, two attack helicopters, and eight unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including Bayraktar, on Sunday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

"Russian Aerospace Forces fighter aircraft and army air defense units downed three Sukhoi Su-27 planes of the Ukrainian Air Forces near Poltava, one Su-25 near Hostomel, two Mil Mi-24 helicopters near Makariv, and eight unmanned aerial vehicles, including Bayraktar TB-2, on Sunday evening," Konashenkov said at a press briefing on Monday.

"Bombers and attack planes destroyed three Buk M1 air defense missile systems and two radar stations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," he said.

The Russian forces have destroyed a total of 78 Ukrainian military drones during the time of the operation, Konashenkov said.

The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed and manufactured by the Turkish defense company Baykar Makina.

As reported before, Ukraine purchased Bayraktar TB2 drones armed with MAM-L precision-guided air bombs manufactured by Turkey's Roketsan for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2019. Information from open sources indicates that the contract was worth $69 million, and the Ukrainian customer was to be supplied with six drones, two control stations, 200 missiles, and spare parts.

The Su-27 (NATO reporting name Flanker) is a Soviet-origin 4th-generation fighter aircraft designed for long-range and short-range air combat and for intercepting and striking piloted and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a Soviet-origin attack plane designed to strike small-size moving and unmoving ground targets and low-speed aerial targets.