Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield in Adygea, SBU says

On October 4, Ukrainian drones targeted two Russian fighter jets and an ammunition depot at the Khanskaya military airfield in Russia's Republic of Adygea, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU, which operates drones through its Alpha special operations unit, struck a Su-35 multirole fighter jet and a Su-34 fighter-bomber, both of which are equipped with guided aerial bombs.

The agency valued the Su-35 at around $100 million and the Su-34 at approximately $50 million. Additionally, an ammunition depot on the airfield was hit. The extent of the damage could not be independently verified. The SBU consistently targets Russian military facilities, weakening its capacity to wage war against Ukraine. The Su-34 is a multifunctional fighter-bomber capable of deploying various types of guided bombs and air-to-surface missiles, while the Su-35 is a multirole fighter designed for air superiority and ground attack missions.

Russia claimed to have intercepted and destroyed 559 Ukrainian drones during the same period, but this could not be independently verified. This attack follows other recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian military aviation, including an assault on a Russian Su-24 bomber at the Saky air base in occupied Crimea on September 16. Ukraine frequently targets Russian military airfields, ammunition depots, and other defense infrastructure with long-range drones to reduce Moscow's ability to launch attacks against Ukraine.

Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.