A Russian bomber aircraft near Bakhmut shot down, says Ukraine

Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile units have shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber near the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The aircraft was destroyed around 1:30 p.m. local time Tuesday, the ministry said.

The report comes as Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, said the country will defend Bakhmut “as long as we need it in terms of military defense tasks."

“We are defending Bakhmut as devotedly as any other settlement. The use of our forces and means is determined not by political expediency, but by the resources needed to repel the enemy and perform combat missions in this area,” Maliar said on Telegram. “The battle for Bakhmut is not an apocalypse. This is another heroic page in the war against the Russian Federation by the powerful Ukrainian army.”