The Ukrainian Air Force on Thursday reported the downing of another Su-34 fighter-bomber belonging to the Russian army. 

Lieutenant General Oleshchuk stated that the Russian aircraft was destroyed "in the eastern direction".

Over the past three days, Ukrainian defense forces announced that they  intercepted three Russian planes. This recent incident adds to a total of 11 military aircraft lost by Russia in February within Ukrainian airspace. The Russian Ministry of Defense has remained silent on these losses.The American publication Forbes speculated on Wednesday that the downing of 10 Russian aircraft - including Su-35, Su-34, and А-50 - in the span of two weeks may have been facilitated by the deployment of Patriot launchers from the American anti-aircraft missile complex by the Ukrainian Air Force. 

According to Forbes, there were indications that the Ukrainian military had strategically positioned part of the anti-aircraft missile systems, NASAMS, in proximity to the front line. However, it's noted that Ukraine may soon face challenges in maintaining its missile supply, as it hasn't received additional missiles for these complexes from the United States since December 2023.

The United States faces obstacles in continuing military aid to Ukraine due to opposition from certain Republicans in Congress. While the Senate, controlled by Democrats, approved a bill on February 13 to allocate over $60 billion to Ukraine, the bill is pending a vote in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Republicans, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, cite concerns over the issue of large-scale illegal migration across the border with Mexico as their reason for opposing the bill. They argue that the measures proposed by the president's administration to address this issue are insufficient.