MOSCOW. July 2 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry has reported destroying five and damaging another two Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 planes in a group strike upon an airfield, as well as downing two more planes and six Storm Shadow missiles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using air defense systems.
"Nine Ukrainian Air Force planes have been struck over the past 24 hours," the ministry said on Tuesday.
"Five Su-27 planes of the enemy's Air Force have been destroyed and two others damaged in a group strike using precision-guided weapons upon an airfield. Two more Ukrainian planes, a MiG-29 and a Su-27, have been downed by Russian air defense systems," it said.
Russian air defense forces have also intercepted six Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a Hammer guided air bomb, a HIMARS rocket, and 81 drones, including a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, it said.
"A total of 625 planes, 276 helicopters, 27,121 unmanned aerial vehicles, 535 air defense missile systems, 16,478 tanks and other armored vehicles, 1,362 multiple rocket launcher systems, 11,215 field artillery systems and mortars, and 23,238 special military vehicles have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation," it said.