Ukraine strikes Russian airfield, damaging rare Su-34 fighter jet
Photo: Su-34 bomber (Getty Images)
Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the Russian military airfield Akhtubinsk in the Astrakhan region. The attack damaged a rare Su-34 bomber, according to the Telegram channel Absolutely Reliable Source.
The attack was carried out on the night of August 20 between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. near the settlement of Akhtubinsk. Satellite imagery released afterward shows at least two impact sites on the military airfield.
The strike damaged a Russian Su-34 frontline bomber. Fuel can be seen spilled near the aircraft in the footage.
After the attack, Russian forces quickly moved the remaining aircraft to other areas of the airfield or evacuated them to other bases.
Photo: image of the damaged Akhtubinsk airfield (Absolutely Reliable Source)
What is known about the damaged Su-34
An analysis of the camouflage pattern on the damaged aircraft suggests it could be an export version of the Su-34E. However, it is more likely to be a flying laboratory based on the Su-34 or an aircraft covered with a special primer applied to new aircraft before painting.
Russian forces use specialized flying laboratories to test new onboard systems, aircraft weapons and electronic warfare equipment under real flight conditions.
The Su-34 is a frontline bomber capable of deploying various types of guided bombs (KAB) and high-explosive bombs (FAB), launching air-to-surface missiles (Kh-59/69, Kh-31/35U), and carrying pods for reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions.
Earlier, Ukraine's intelligence operators, together with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, struck several important military targets in Russia overnight. These included two airfields used to launch attack drones against Ukraine.
Recently, Ukraine struck the Savasleyka airfield, which hosts Russian aircraft used to strike Ukrainian cities and villages. The airfield is located about 700 kilometers from Ukraine.
