Russian aviation significantly reduced the use of guided aerial bombs in the south after the Ukrainian air defense destroyed enemy Su-34 aircraft.
This information became known from the morning briefing of the Operational Command "South."
In the past 24 hours, the Russians carried out one aviation strike using 4 guided aerial bombs in the area of Krynky on the left bank of Kherson region.
Additionally, they employed 1 guided aerial missile Kh-59 towards Kropyvnytskyi, which was successfully destroyed by the air defense forces.
This is three times less than the day before. In the previous instance, the Russians conducted 3 aerial strikes using 15 guided aerial bombs on populated areas on both the left and right banks of the Dnipro River in Kherson region.
The sharp reduction in the use of Russian aviation for strikes against Ukraine in the south occurred after Ukrainian military announced on Friday, December 22, that the air defense had destroyed three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers.
According to Yuriy Ignat, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russians became "too arrogant" and intended to approach closer to deliver strikes with guided aerial bombs deeper into the defense of Ukrainian forces.
Ignat noted that Russian pilots were caught off guard, and after that, the "operation unfolded rapidly and skillfully."
However, it's worth noting that unconfirmed information has surfaced on social media about the downing of one Russian Su-35 fighter and two Su-34 frontline bombers.
Later, photos of a Russian search and rescue helicopter Mi-8/17 and the landing site of the downed pilots appeared on the internet.
