UK intelligence says Ukraine's strikes on occupied Sevastopol likely led to Russia shooting down its own warplane

UK Defence Intelligence has reported that Russia has likely shot down its own Su-27 fighter jet on 28 March due to Ukrainian attacks on the city of Sevastopol (Russian-occupied Crimea), an incident reported by a Crimean Telegram channel.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 6 April on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda

Details: UK intelligence noted that Ukraine's strikes on targets in Sevastopol and the Russian Black Sea Fleet on 24 March almost certainly led to the local Russian air defence being put on high alert, so the incident could have been the result of friendly fire.

The intelligence reported that there have been previously unconfirmed reports of similar cases of friendly fire, usually following a series of actions by Ukraine against Russian forces on the territory illegally occupied by Russia.

"There is a realistic possibility that rather than a technical issue, the increased pressure and tension amongst Russian air defence operators induced by the fear of further Ukrainian action leads to them inadvertently engaging their own pilots and aircraft," the review stated.

UK Defence Intelligence added that this incident and others, if confirmed, are likely to highlight the lack of situational awareness and coordination between units of the Russian Armed Forces and once again demonstrate the impact of Ukraine's actions.

For reference: On 28 March, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called governor of the city of Sevastopol, claimed that a Russian aircraft crashed near the city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea.

Background:

• Earlier, UK analysts reported on Russia's unsuccessful attempts to disguise its military facilities to prevent Ukraine from destroying them.
• Before that, it analysed the Ukrainian Air Force's strikes on Sevastopol on 24 March 2024, which targeted the communications centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

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