A Russian soldier is facing the consequences of ramming his truck into Vladimir Putin’s prized Su-25 jet. The driver caused $4 million in damages and left the jet totaled. But he didn’t even have his driver’s license. 

Russian soldier totals Putin’s Su-25 jet 

CRIMEA RIVER. A Russian soldier was driving a truck at a high speed when he rammed into President Vladimir Putin’s prized Su-25 fighter jet. 

The incident occurred in the city of Chelyabinsk, in west-central Russia and the soldier didn’t have a driver’s license. 

He was speeding between two parking lots filled with Russian military jets at an airfield when he collided with the Su-25 jet. He totaled the jet and caused about $4 million in damages. 

According to News Week, the soldier was sentenced to one year of suspended imprisonment with a probationary period of one and a half years. It sounds like the Russian police went easy on him. 

This accident only adds to the loss of Russian trucks, tanks, jets, airplanes and more. About 10% of Russia’s aircraft fleet was already lost when Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

Days before the incident, a Ukrainian drone barrage targeted the Smolensk Aviation Plant. It builds Soviet-designed Su-25 ground attack aircraft plus Kh-55 and Kh-59 missiles. This might make it difficult to replace the aircraft. 

Ukraine has been targeting airfields, military plants, ammunition depots, warehouses, oil hubs, and refineries. If the Dutch intelligence defense analysis site, Oryx, is correct then 235 Russian aircraft have been destroyed and 46 have been damaged since the start of the war.