Direct proof of use
The Su-35S is directly documented in Russian Aerospace Forces operations during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. RUSI's November 2022 air-war study describes Russian fighters as a persistent threat to Ukrainian aircraft near the front line, identifies the Su-35S as especially lethal with the R-77-1 missile, and states that Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters regularly fired Kh-31P and Kh-58 anti-radiation missiles against Ukrainian surface-to-air missile radars.
CNA's 2023 study of Russian combat air operations in Ukraine describes modified Su-35S fighters using large numbers of R-37M missiles from September 2022 onward, alongside MiG-31BM interceptors, and assesses Russian combat air patrols as an enduring threat and deterrent against Ukrainian sorties near the front line.
Sources: RUSI Russian Air War, CNA Russian Combat Air
Timeline
Open-source evidence places Su-35S aircraft in Russian combat-air operations from the opening weeks of the 2022 full-scale invasion. Janes reported that Russian Ministry of Defence imagery released through Zvezda on 7 March 2022 showed Su-35S fighters armed for Ukrainian operations, including Kh-31P/Kh-31PM anti-radiation missiles and air-to-air missiles.
By November 2022, RUSI described the Su-35S as part of the Russian fighter threat that Ukrainian aircraft had to avoid near the front. CNA later identified September 2022 as the point when R-37M use by modified Su-35S fighters and MiG-31BM interceptors significantly increased the range at which Russian combat air patrols could take missile shots.
Sources: Janes Su-35S SEAD, RUSI Russian Air War, CNA Russian Combat Air
Narrative
The Su-35S appears in the Ukraine air war primarily as a Russian counter-air and suppression platform rather than as a close-air-support aircraft. RUSI describes Russian fixed-wing aircraft losing access to Ukrainian-controlled airspace above very low altitude after March 2022 because Ukrainian mobile surface-to-air missile systems survived and adapted. In that environment, Su-35S fighters remained relevant from standoff positions: they threatened Ukrainian aircraft near the front and launched anti-radiation missiles against Ukrainian SAM radars.
The aircraft's documented role changed in emphasis as Russian tactics evolved. Early reporting and imagery focused on Su-35S sorties carrying anti-radiation missiles for suppression of Ukrainian air defenses. Later analysis emphasized long-range air-to-air missile use: CNA attributed the increased shot range of Russian combat air patrols after September 2022 to R-37M employment by MiG-31BM interceptors and modified Su-35S fighters.
A 2026 RUSI air-power assessment treated the Su-35S war record as part of a broader Russian learning process. It stated that Russian aircrew had accumulated years of combat flying against Ukraine's integrated air-defense system and that conversion of Su-35S, and increasingly Su-30SM2, fleets toward R-37M carriage had increased the threat those aircraft could pose in future air operations.
Sources: RUSI Russian Air War, CNA Russian Combat Air, RUSI Air Power Threats
