Crimean Defense Official: Ukraine Used Western Weapons
Accuses Kyiv of Downing Russian Fighter Jet
New US weapons supplied to Ukraine were reportedly used for the first time by Ukrainian forces to shoot down a Russian Su-25 jet over the southern Kherson region, a top Crimean defense official claimed on Sunday
"Ukrainian air defenses, using NATO-supplied weapons, downed a Russian Su-25 aircraft near the village of Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region," Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the head of Crimea, said in a statement on Telegram.
The claim comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to engage in intense fighting in the Kherson region, with both sides accusing each other of using Western-supplied weapons.
Ukraine has received billions of dollars worth of military aid from Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Russia has repeatedly warned that the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine is prolonging the conflict and increasing the risk of a wider war.
In a separate incident, a Russian military official on Sunday claimed that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian military airfield in Crimea with a drone attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the attack on the Belbek military airfield near Sevastopol caused no casualties or damage to aircraft.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but it comes amid a series of recent explosions at Russian military facilities in Crimea, which Moscow has blamed on Ukrainian sabotage.
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