The A-10 is called the Thunderbolt II, as in the grand-baby of the old WWII P-47 combined with the old A-1 Skyraider..
The Frogfoot, the SU-25 (@%) is a crappy jet; gun is not as accurate as the A-10, not even close to the same range, and its engines are a lag-monster and subject to compressor stalls.
Thanks for the details on the SU 25. The point remains that the Russians know how valuable a CAS aircraft is and there's no indication they intend to remove it from their inventory unless they develop something better for that mission, a far cry from what the Mahdi is doing to the A-10 just when a whole series of perfect missions for it is developing. Of course, maybe that's exactly why he's trying to remove it