A Ukrainian agent spent two weeks studying the patrol routes of the Russian guards before initiating the brazen attack.
In the span of just one weekend, the Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed four Russian fighter jets.
The total worth of the destroyed aircraft is almost $200 million.
A Stellar Weekend for Ukraine
Last weekend, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR) were on the hunt for Russian fighter jets. In two separate operations, the Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed four Russian aircraft (a Su-27 Flanker and three Su-30 Flankers). The four aircraft cost approximately $170 million.
On Saturday, the GUR used a saboteur to attack the Russian air base in Lipetsk. In a post released by the Ukrainian Military Intelligence, the Ukrainians called the operation “unique.”
“As a result of the operation of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s GUR, directly implemented by a representative of the resistance movement to the criminal Russian regime, both of the aggressor’s military aircraft were disabled,” the GUR stated.
The Ukrainian agent spent two weeks studying the patrol routes of the Russian guards. So, on the night of the attack, the agent was able to enter the air base, destroy the two expensive combat aircraft, and leave unnoticed. As a result of the attack, two Russian combat aircraft with tail numbers “12” and “82” were destroyed.
A video released by the GUR and likely taken by the Ukrainian agent via a phone shows the tail numbers of the two Russian fighter jets, the inside of a cockpit, and flames engulfing at least one aircraft’s engines. Initially, the GUR assessed that its agent destroyed a Su-27 and a Su-30. However, a few hours later, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence agency updated its assessment and stated that it destroyed two Su-30s.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Ukrainian SBU also claimed a big victory last weekend when it used suicide drones to attack two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jets at the Belbek air base. One of the combat aircraft was apparently on the taxiway, outfitted with a full combat loadout and ready to take off when it was destroyed. The estimated worth of those two aircraft is approximately $70 million.
If confirmed, this would mark another setback for the Russian Aerospace Forces in recent weeks. In December, Russian military bloggers reported that the crew of a Russian bomber was killed when their ejection seats were triggered while their aircraft was parked inside a hardened bunker.
Moreover, it would mark yet another success for the Ukrainian special operations forces and security services after the successful attack against a Russian attack submarine with an underwater suicide drone in the Novorossiysk port.
About the Su-30 Flanker
The Sukhoi-30 Flanker is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter jet and part of the long Sukhoi combat aircraft line of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Since 1996, there have been five Flanker combat aircraft (Su-27, Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, and Su-35), each designed for specific mission sets. The Su-30 is the closest related to the Su-27, as the concept began as an internal development upgrade but led to a completely different aircraft.
The fighter jet is designed for all-weather, air-to-air, and air-to-ground deep interdiction missions.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock
