MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. A Russian Su-35 fighter shot down two Mi-24 helicopters and a Su-25 plane of the Ukrainian Air Force in an air combat in the Nikolayev Region in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.

"Operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile and artillery troops struck Ukrainian manpower and military hardware in 77 areas. A Russian Su-35 fighter shot down two Mi-24 helicopters and a Su-25 plane of the Ukrainian Air Force in an air combat near the settlements of Nikolayevka and Snegiryovka in the Nikolayev Region," the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian forces have destroyed 232 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 137 helicopters, 1,462 unmanned aerial vehicles, 353 surface-to-air missile systems, 3,915 tanks and other combat armored vehicles, 720 multiple rocket launchers, 3,096 field artillery guns and mortars and 4,043 special military motor vehicles since the start of their special military operation in Ukraine, the general said.

Russia’s Su-35 generation 4++ multirole supermaneuverable fighter outfitted with an onboard phased array radar station and thrust vectored engines is designed to gain air superiority by striking manned and unmanned aerial vehicles with missiles at long, medium and short distances in long-and short-range maneuverable aerial battles, autonomous operations and as part of an air task force, engage naval and ground targets by all types of armaments in any weather conditions and also ground infrastructure sites shielded by air defenses and located at considerable distances from the aircraft’s airfield.

The Su-35 can develop a speed of up to 2,500 km/h and operate at a distance of 3,400 km. The fighter is outfitted with a 30mm gun and has 12 hardpoints for carrying bombs and missiles, including smart weapons.