Satellite images show wreckage of Su-34 fighter-bombers at Borisoglebsk airfield in Russia’s Voronezh after Ukrainian missile strike

Satellite images of the Borisoglebsk military airfield in Russia's Voronezh Region have emerged, believed to be the aftermath of a Ukrainian missile strike. Ukrainian naval sources initially reported that six Russian Su-34M fighter-bombers were damaged in an overnight attack on October 15, with President Volodymyr Zelensky later stating that four aircraft were destroyed and two more damaged.

Images provided by Airbus Defence and Space, obtained by Reuters, show six aircraft at the airfield prior to the strike, and blurred imagery suggests a strike in the aircraft parking area. The OSINT channel Dnipro Osint marked the locations of six aircraft struck, while AviVector analyzed the imagery and concluded that four Su-34s were destroyed, with two other marks attributed to engine starts that occurred before the attack.

Pro-war Russian Telegram channel Voyenny Osvedomitel, citing the same satellite images, suggested that "in the worst-case scenario, as many as three to four Su-34 bombers parked at the epicenter of the explosion may have been lost, while two more may have been damaged." Russian pro-war Telegram channels criticized the practice of parking military aircraft closely together in open areas instead of protective shelters and questioned the lack of information from Russian authorities regarding the condition of the aircraft.

Prior to the satellite images' circulation, Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ shared photos and videos captured by residents, showing bright flashes, a glow in the sky, and a powerful explosion in Borisoglebsk. These recordings were linked to the attack on the military airfield. The Borisoglebsk airfield is situated approximately 6 kilometers east of the city of the same name in the Voronezh Region.

The Su-34 is a contemporary Russian fighter-bomber primarily used to target Ukrainian positions and cities with guided aerial bombs, while the Su-34M is a modernized variant of the aircraft.