Ukraine announced the downing of a Su-35: the version of an ambush with an F-16 and Patriot has not yet been confirmed

Ukraine announced the downing of a Russian Su-35 in an easterly direction. The loss was indirectly acknowledged by Russian channels, but the version of an ambush with F-16s and Patriots has not yet been confirmed.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that on July 8, a Russian multirole fighter was shot down in the eastern direction. Su-35. This is a serious loss for Russian aviation, but the details of the operation remain vague.

The Ukrainian side reported the downed plane. According to Ukrainskaya PravdaThe Ukrainian Air Force first announced the destruction of a Russian combat aircraft, and later clarified that we are talking specifically about Su-35. Similar information was provided Kyiv Independent And Kyiv Post.

The Russian side did not officially confirm the loss, but Russian military Telegram channels and commentators acknowledged the fact of the plane crash. According to Defense BlogRussian commentator Oleksiy Zemtsov reported that the pilot survived and was able to reach Russian positions. Edition Militarnyi also writes about indirect confirmation of the loss on the Russian side.

What is known for sure

At the moment, we can talk cautiously about three things: Ukraine announced the downed Su-35, Russian military channels actually admitted the loss of the plane, and the pilot, according to them, survived.

However, official Ukrainian reports do not disclose what exactly the plane was hit with. Neither the type of missile, nor the participation of the F-16, nor the use of the Patriot complex were named. And this is where the favorite genre of the military Internet begins: a real fact is taken as a basis, and then an action movie script is attached to it so that a boring war looks like a trailer.

Version about F-16 and Patriot

In the Greek and military segment of social networks, a version is spreading that Russian Su-35 was ambushed: He was allegedly “sandwiched” by three Ukrainian F-16s with AIM-120D missiles supported by a Patriot radar or battery.

This version looks impressive, but has not yet been confirmed by either Ukrainian official sources or major Western agencies. Therefore, the formulation “F-16 and Patriot shot down a Su-35” is now premature. It would be more correct to write: a version of a complex operation involving Western systems is being discussed in military channels, but there is no official confirmation of this.

You should be especially careful about the statement that this is “the third loss of the Su-35 since the beginning of the war.” Open OSINT lists, including Oryxrecorded more episodes of losses of Russian Su-35/Su-35S, and such lists themselves take into account only visually confirmed cases. Actual losses may vary.

Why the loss of the Su-35 is important

The Su-35 is one of the most modern Russian 4++ generation fighters. It is used to gain air superiority, escort strike aircraft and use long-range missiles. The loss of such a vehicle is painful not only because of the cost, but also because of the limited number of trained crews and the difficulty of replenishing the fleet.

If the participation of the F-16 or Patriot is confirmed in the future, this will be an important signal: Ukraine could show a more complex combination of Western aviation and air defense against Russian tactical aviation. But for now this is just a conditional “if”, and not an established fact.

Similar caution has been required before. In 2025 Reuters reported Ukraine’s statement on another Su-35 downing, but explicitly stated that the agency could not independently verify this episode. In such stories, confirmation almost always lags behind the big claims.

“Athens News” previously wrote that the air war is increasingly becoming a struggle not only of aircraft, but also of air defense systems, reconnaissance, drones and long-range missiles. Kyiv expands the geography of long-range attacks.

Main conclusion

The fact of Ukraine’s statement about the downed Su-35 has been confirmed, and the loss of the aircraft is indirectly acknowledged by Russian channels. But the version of an ambush with three F-16s, an AIM-120D and a Patriot remains unconfirmed.

Therefore, the material should be presented not as a proven “hunt of the F-16 for the Su-35,” but as an important episode of the air war, around which a spectacular, but not yet verified, version has already emerged. The war is already dramatic enough. Adding unconfirmed special effects to it is a dubious service, although the Internet, of course, lives by this.

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