MOSCOW

Russia on Monday said it shot down three fighter jets of Ukraine near the Snake Island in the Black Sea on Sunday night.

According to the Defense Ministry, air defense systems downed two Su-25 and one Su-24 fighter jets belonging to Ukraine's armed forces.

Also, 10 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed and 18 shells fired from Smerch multiple rocket launcher were intercepted, Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing in Moscow.

With high-precision air-based missiles, Russian air forces hit two Ukrainian command points, eight firing points, five ammunition depots, and 16 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment, he added.

"In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 168 aircraft, 125 helicopters, 889 unmanned aerial vehicles, 307 air defense systems, 3,108 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 381 multiple rocket launchers, 1,529 field artillery and mortars, and 2,949 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed," Konashenkov said.

At least 3,573 people have been killed and 3,816 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is believed to be much higher.

Over 6.1 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.