Russia's bomber mistakenly shot down over Ukraine... Unit price 47 billion won

Su-34 Bomber Crashes Due to Russian Friendly Fire
Indiscriminate Use of Outdated Missiles Due to Lack of Stock

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It has been reported that Russian forces mistakenly shot down their own bomber, deployed to the Ukrainian front, mistaking it for an enemy aircraft. As the war drags on and the Russian military suffers from a shortage of missile stockpiles, it is estimated that the indiscriminate deployment of outdated missiles to the front lines is increasing the number of friendly fire incidents.

According to the British Daily Mail on the 19th (local time), the Russian military mistakenly shot down their own Su-34 fighter bomber near the village of Alchevsk in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, mistaking it for an enemy aircraft. Alchevsk is known to be a city occupied by the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).

The Su-34 fighter bomber that was shot down is a latest model aircraft worth approximately $36 million (about 47 billion KRW) each. According to the Ukrainian local media Dialoh, the Russian air defense unit shot down the aircraft flying near Alchevsk around the 17th, and initially, the Russian military mistakenly posted a video claiming to have shot down a Ukrainian military aircraft, but deleted it after confirming that the aircraft was their own bomber.

There was also a friendly fire incident reported in Alchevsk last month. At that time, one of four missiles launched by pro-Russian rebels toward the Ukrainian front line returned to the launch site and bombed their own forces.

In particular, as the Ukraine war enters its fifth month and the Russian military faces a shortage of missile stockpiles, it is estimated that the indiscriminate firing of outdated missiles with malfunctioning or defective precision guidance systems is increasing the number of friendly fire incidents. According to CNN, the Russian military has used more than 3,000 various missiles since the start of the war, and due to a shortage of missile stockpiles, it is known to be deploying more old Soviet-era missiles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.