Ukrainian officials say a video clip shows the downing of a Russian fighter jet over Chernihiv

The Washington Post verified the images and, using the number “24” on the plane’s vertical stabilizer, determined that the plane was a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet. It was the same plane Filmed in 2019 in Russia By aircraft monitors, the identification was confirmed by Tony Wilson of the Security Force Monitor at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute.

A plume of black smoke can be seen from the crash site half a mile away, according to a video verified by The Post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Appeal to members of Congress Saturday to help bring more Soviet-era fighter jets home to counter Russian air attacks. And those planes can be sent from Eastern European countries, including Poland, Romania and Slovakia, a senator wrote after the call.

Senator Ben Sassi (R-Neb) said in a statement Saturday that Zelensky asked lawmakers to “close the skies or give us planes.”

The United States and other NATO leaders rejected Zelensky’s calls to send military aircraft to Ukraine to establish a no-fly zone. Such a move could cause an escalation of the conflict and “lead to all-out war in Europe,” the United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

The United States supplied Ukraine with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, The Washington Post reportedBut Zelensky said that these weapons are not enough to repel Russian forces.

Todd C. Frankel and Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.