Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Two Su-24 bombers of the Air Force were shot down near the villages of Smeloe and Stepovoe in Donbass Ukraine. This was reported by the NM of the LPR in its Telegram channel.
These villages are located approximately 30 km north-west of Luhansk.
Earlier, the RF Ministry of Defense stated that the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were suppressed , the military infrastructure of the republic's air bases has been disabled.
On February 24, Russia launched a special operation to protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). The head of the Russian state, Vladimir Putin, noted that it was a response to requests for military assistance received from the leaders of the republics of Donbass Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik.