Satellite Images Reveal Destruction Of Russian Su-34 Jet In Airfield Attack

Satellite images have been released showing the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone strike which is reported to have destroyed a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber at Russia’s Morozovsk military air base.

Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said Monday that the attack in the southern Rostov region on August 3 destroyed one of the $36 million midrange Russian Su-34 strike jets and damaged two others. It shared satellite imagery showing the purported destruction. Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment by email.

The Morozovsk military airfield, located more than 160 miles from Ukraine’s front line, hosts Russian tactical Su-27 and Su-34 fighter-bombers, used to launch airstrikes against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s SBU security service.

“The enemy’s aviation arsenal has been completely destroyed. Large areas of scorched earth are visible from the secondary detonation of Russian ammunition on the territory of the airfield and around it,” Ukrainian intelligence said in a statement on Telegram.

Images from California-based global imaging company Planet Labs dated Aug. 4, a day after the attack by Kyiv’s forces were also obtained by Schemes, a project by U.S.-funded Radio Liberty.

Schemes said the August 4 images show damaged Russian ammunition warehouses and “traces of fire” near buildings and parking areas.

Kyiv was behind an attack on the Morozovsk military airfield, as well as a number of oil depots, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on August 3. It added that warehouses storing ammunition, including Russian glide bombs, were struck, and that “information regarding the destruction of air-defense equipment and enemy aviation is being clarified.”

“The task was carried out by the assets and personnel of the Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine in cooperation with the Armed Forces,” the general staff said in a post on Facebook.

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian internal affairs minister, shared video footage on X, formerly Twitter, which purportedly showed a fire which broke out after the drone attack on the airfield.

Ukraine has frequently attacked Russian military bases using long-range drones. Kyiv says they are legitimate targets in the ongoing war between the two countries that began in February 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion.

The Morozovsk air base has been targeted by Ukraine’s SBU security service multiple times throughout the war. In April, an SBU source told Reuters that a joint attack conducted by Kyiv intelligence and Ukraine’s military destroyed six Russian warplanes and damaged eight others stationed at the base.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his military’s position on the matter on August 3, saying it is “quite fair to strike at Russian airfields.”

In late July, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Mark Krutov shared satellite images from another Ukrainian drone attack on the military base, which didn’t appear to cause any significant damage.

“1/2 High-resolution @planet images of the Russian Morozovsk air base before and after the Ukrainian drones strike on July 22. I can’t see any signs of damaged buildings or planes. The July 24 image shows that the base is operating as usual, no signs of planes being moved away,” he posted on X.

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