Russian Military Shoots Down Fighter Jet and 33 Ukrainian Drones

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced its success in intercepting and shooting down fighter jets and dozens of Ukrainian army drones in various regions. According to the Sputnik news agency, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday (10/31/2023) that Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed a MiG-29 fighter plane and eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles belonging to the Ukrainian army in various regions in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The statement said that in the last 24 hours, Russian army air defense also shot down a Mi-8 helicopter and 33 Ukrainian army UAVs in the Luhansk region. The Storm Shadow cruise missile is a stealthy, medium-range, air-launched missile that weighs 1,300 kg and has a maximum range of 560 km. Britain supplies this type of missile to the Ukrainian army. Yesterday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu touched on the United States' desperate efforts to maintain its hegemony in the world, and said that the Ukrainian army had lost more than 90,000 military personnel since the start of its counteroffensive against Moscow in June. On February 21, 2022, the Russian President recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in the Donbass region, and three days later, he launched a special military operation in Ukraine that continues to this day.