How Many Su-34 Fighter Bombers Does Russia Have Left?

Ukrainian anti-air crews claim to have downed 13 Russian aircraft in 13 days, rounding off a torturous month for Moscow’s air force, even as ground units report significant battlefield advances.

“It seems like being a Russian military plane pilot is the worst job in the world,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry wrote in a post on X—formerly known as Twitter—on Thursday. “February is the shortest month of the year, but our sky defenders have achieved the greatest results in downing Russian jets since October 2022.”

Kyiv listed 10 Su-34 fighter-bombers, two Su-35 fighters, and one A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft as the downed planes. The A-50 is the second of its type claimed destroyed by Ukraine since February 2022. Ukrainian spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said this week that Moscow has only six A–50s left.

Newsweek cannot independently verify the tally and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

Russia’s Su-34s have been playing a key role in supporting Moscow’s winter offensive on the eastern front. Air-dropped KAB glide bombs have been credited as vital to Russian success in and around the small city of Avdiivka, with Ukrainian defenders lacking the air-defense capabilities to stop such sorties. Russian fighter-bombers can release the munitions from as far as 25 miles away.

Still, it appears at least some of Kyiv’s Western-bolstered anti-air units—perhaps including one or more mobile American-made Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries—have been deployed close to the front.

Contacted by Newsweek, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force declined to comment on what weapons have been used in recent shootdowns.

Forbes reported that Russia’s air force has acquired a total of 140 Su-34 fighter-bombers. As of Friday, Ukraine claims to have downed 35 of them. The Oryx open-source intelligence tracker lists 25 Su-34s destroyed.

If Ukraine’s figures are accurate, the Russian air force would have around 105 Su-34s remaining in service. However, an unknown number may not be operational due to damage, a lack of pilots, and required routine maintenance.

“The impact of losing 13 aircraft in almost as many days, and possibly some of their highly trained pilots, is not negligible for the Russian military,” the Institute for the Study of War wrote in its Thursday update.

Michael Bohnert, an engineer at the RAND Corporation think tank, wrote in August that even a small number of aircraft losses will have a significant knock-on effect for the rest of the air force. “Overuse of these aircraft is also costing Russia as the war drags on,” he said.

“In a protracted war, where one force tries to exhaust the other, it’s the total longevity of the military force that matters. And that’s where the VKS [the Russian air force] finds itself now,” Bohnert added.

Ukraine is still waiting for the delivery of Western F-16 fighter jets. Kyiv says the aircraft are badly needed to defend against Russian cruise missiles and air-dropped bombs. Only a small number of F-16s are expected, and their delivery has been repeatedly delayed.

Oryx lists 78 total destroyed Ukrainian aircraft, including 37 fighters of various types and 35 close air support or strike aircraft.

Bohnert said that the arrival of the F-16s will increase the strain on the Russian air force. “As the VKS devotes a greater share of its dwindling force to countering those, it will have fewer aircraft left to support Russian ground operations,” he wrote.

“VKS fighters in the sky will also be less capable, stemming from two years of overuse. This happens even if F-16s fail to score a single air-to-air kill, and an upgraded Ukrainian fighter and air defense threat will score many.”