Ukrainian Air Force down two Russian fighter jets on February 19

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk reported the information.

"Morning of February 19, 2024. Eastern direction. Minus two more occupiers!" he wrote on Telegram.

Specifically, the aircraft in question are a Su-34 fighter-bomber and a Su-35S fighter jet.

Oleshchuk thanked the military for their combat work.

The destruction of the Russian aircraft was confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. According to him, in the morning, the Air Force destroyed two Russian fighter jets that were launching guided bomb attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops.

Later, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force said that one of the downed Russian aircraft had fallen into the Sea of Azov, and efforts were underway to locate the crew of the second aircraft.

"Russian rescuers reported that the pilot of the Su-35 is drifting "face down" in the Sea of Azov. And the Cospas-Sarsat system again tells us where to look for the crew of the Su-34. Let's keep working!" he wrote.

Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, also showed a video from the scene of the incident.

"From the scene. The plane that did not fall is in the sea. Russians are trying to retrieve something. Rybatske is blocked by the military commandant's office. Everyone is running around," he added.

• On the same morning, a series of explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, Donetsk region. There were reports of a possible downing of a Russian aircraft.