Ukraine strikes Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets deep inside Russia at Lipetsk airbase
Photo: Ukraine's intelligence strikes Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft at an airfield in Russian Lipetsk (Russian media)
On the night of December 20–21, a fire broke out at a Russian military airfield near Lipetsk, where two enemy fighter jets — a Su-30 and a Su-27 — were set ablaze, reports Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR).
"As a result of an operation by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, directly carried out by a representative of the resistance movement against the criminal Russian regime, both military aircraft of the aggressor were disabled," HUR said in a statement.
The estimated combined value of the two fighter jets used by Russia in its war against Ukraine may reach up to $100 million.
The Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft, bearing tail numbers "12" and "82," were destroyed thanks to careful preparation and professionalism. Planning the special operation at the Lipetsk airfield took two weeks.
"Studying patrol routes and guard rotation schedules made it possible to covertly penetrate the military facility of the aggressor state, strike the Russian Sus (Su aircraft - ed.) directly inside a protective aircraft hangar, and then leave the airfield without obstruction," HUR added.
Strikes on Russian airfields
On December 20, it became known that drones operated by Ukraine's Security Service attacked the Russian military airfield Belbek in temporarily occupied Crimea.
Two Su-27 aircraft were hit. One of the jets was on a taxiway, fully armed and ready for a combat sortie, and was destroyed.
In addition, on December 18, the drones struck Russian military equipment at the same airfield worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including two Nebo-SVU radar systems, a 92N6 radar from the S-400 Triumph air defense system, a Pantsir-S2 air defense system, and a MiG-31 aircraft with a full combat load.
