For the second time in just over a week, Russian forces have reportedly shot down one of their own advanced Su-35 fighter jets.
The latest incident occurred in Mariupol, Ukraine, and was cited by Ukrainian defense officials.
The Russian Su-35 multirole fighter jet was downed on Friday, according to multiple reports.
While details are still limited, the pilot is believed to have survived the incident. The previous friendly fire event took place near Tokmak, a city in the southern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, on September 28.
Russian military blogger Fighterbomber commented on the situation, stating, "At this rate of work of our valiant air defense, we will soon be left without aviation."
However, Russian authorities have yet to confirm these incidents. British Defense Ministry, on the other hand, expressed 80 to 90 percent confidence that an Su-35S was destroyed in the first incident.
Watch the incident here
Financial implications
The Su-35 jet, considered a modernized version of the Su-27, has a disputed cost ranging from $43 million to $85 million.
More than a fifth of Russia's known aircraft losses since the Russia-Ukraine war began have been self-inflicted.
