Ukrainian intelligence reports that their military has launched an attack on an airbase deep within Russian territory, destroying a modern Su-57 fighter jet.
Pravda, citing information from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIU), reported that on June 8, the Ukrainian military attacked the Akhtubinsk airbase in Russia’s Astrakhan province, approximately 600 km from the Ukrainian border.
According to DIU analysis, satellite images from June 7 showed that the Su-57 fighter stationed at this base was intact. However, satellite images taken on June 8 revealed large craters and blackened areas from the impact of the attack.
Kyiv believes this marks the first time in history that a Russian Su-57 has been destroyed. Moscow has not commented on this information.
Ukraine continues to seek ways to extend its strike range to target airbases, weapons depots, and fuel supplies deep within Russian territory. Previously, Kyiv has attacked airbases housing Russian bombers.
Last month, Dmitry Bogdanov, head of the electronic warfare department of the Russian Aerospace Forces, acknowledged that Ukrainian drones could penetrate up to 2,500 km into Russian territory but assured that Moscow remains secure against all intrusions.
Bogdanov declared that Russia has implemented the necessary measures to protect Moscow and other regions from Ukrainian UAV attacks.
The Su-57 is Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet equipped with advanced stealth technology, three-dimensional thrust vectoring engines, and a wide array of weapons.
According to Russian military documents, the Su-57 can fly at “twice the speed of sound,” reach a maximum altitude of about 18 km, and has a range of up to 2,900 km.
Its armaments include radar-guided or infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, unguided air-to-ground missiles, conventional bombs, cluster bombs, and a 30mm cannon. According to Pravda, the Su-57 can carry missiles such as the Kh-59 and Kh-69.
This twin-engine stealth fighter was developed by the Sukhoi company in the early 2000s, with roots tracing back to the Cold War era, during which the Soviet Union recognized the importance of next-generation fighters in the Su-27 and MiG-29 fleets for tactical military operations.
To date, there has been no confirmed appearance of the Su-57 over Ukrainian skies, though it is speculated that Russia has used them to strike Kyiv’s targets, albeit very rarely.
Some suggest that Russia limits the deployment of the Su-57 into Ukrainian airspace out of concern that it might be shot down by enemy air defenses, given that Russia possesses only a maximum of 10 of these jets.
