Russia has lost another Su-34 fighter jet. It was reportedly shot down by an American F-16 that was handed over to Ukraine, which became the basis for attacks on Washington and aid to Kiev.The National Interest writes that at least three dozen Su-34s have already been destroyed during the war with Ukraine, which is almost a quarter of the Russian Federation’s pre-war fleet of 140 aircraft. It is noted that combat losses outpace production.”Russia is on the offensive in Ukraine, but this incident can be seen as a major setback because the Su-34s are the aircraft that Russia uses to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure,” explains geopolitical analyst Irina Tsukerman, president of Scarab Rising.It is noteworthy that the news of the loss of the Russian plane immediately appeared on social networks – and from the accounts of pro-Kremlin mibloggers who regularly report on the progress of the war on Telegram. They are critical of the military actions, even if they demonstrate support for Vladimir Putin.”These propagandists are trying to make Ukraine into a villain and thereby create anti-Ukrainian sentiment among their own population,” said Susan Campbell, a distinguished professor at the School of Communication at the University of New Haven.Even when mibloggers mourn the loss of the Su-34 and criticize the conduct of military operations, this is also aimed at inciting anti-American sentiment, she said.”The use of the F-16s here is important because pro-Kremlin propagandists are looking for any excuse to attack US aid to Ukraine, and to prove that Ukraine is just a proxy for the CIA/MI6 etc., who are directly attacking Russia with their equipment,” Zuckerman suggested. “It’s another way to discredit NATO and support their conspiracy theories that the Alliance has been plotting to attack or invade Russia all along. It’s also a good way to spin the failure and the fact that Russian air superiority has now been effectively weakened.”Even despite criticism of Russia’s military leadership, the message that NATO poses a serious threat remains in force.
