Ukraine says it hit Russian MiG-31, Su-30/34 fighter jets following attack on airfield
A Ukrainian strike allegedly damaged two Russian military aircraft — a MiG-31 and either a Su-30 or Su-34 fighter jet — at an airfield used to launch Kinzhal missile attacks, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on May 9.
The extent of the damage is still being assessed, the military said.
Ukraine's overnight strike targeted the Savasleyka airfield in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which the Kremlin uses to launch MiG-31K jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, according to the General Staff.
The operation was conducted by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in coordination with other units.
The strike happened as Russia launched a massive attack on Ukrainian cities overnight on June 9.
Recently, Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian military aircraft, which Moscow often uses to target civilian infrastructure. Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones destroyed dozens of Russian strategic bombers and surveillance aircraft in a series of attacks dubbed Operation Spiderweb.
On June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) used smuggled first-person-view drones to strike four Russian airfields: Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya. The SBU said 41 aircraft were damaged or destroyed, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes, causing an estimated $7 billion in damage.
Footage of those strikes, released by Ukrainian officials on June 4, showed direct hits on key Russian aircraft. Ukrainian officials say such operations aim to limit Russia's ability to launch missile attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Read also: Operation Spiderweb — everything we know about Ukraine's 'audacious' attack on Russia's heavy bombers
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
European Union Unveils Fresh Sanctions on Russia, Including a Nord Stream Ban
The European Union's executive arm unveiled its latest package of sanctions against Russia, aiming to apply pressure to President Vladimir V. Putin by damaging the nation's energy and banking sectors. The sanctions proposed on Tuesday — which still need to be debated and passed by member states — would ban transactions with the Nord Stream pipelines, hoping to choke off future flows of energy from Russia into Europe. They would lower the price cap at which Russian gas can be purchased on global markets, hoping to chip away at Russian revenues. And they would hit both Russian banks and the so-called 'shadow fleet,' old tanker ships, often registered to other countries or not registered at all, that Moscow uses to covertly transport and sell its oil around the world to skirt energy sanctions. The new measures would blacklist a new batch of ships that are being used in this way. The proposal is the 18th sanctions package to come out of Brussels since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Taken as a whole, the measures are a sweeping effort to threaten Russian economic might and morale at a critical juncture in the war. The announcement comes as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine stall. Despite pressure from the Trump administration to work toward a cease-fire, the latest round of talks between the two sides, earlier this month in Istanbul, created little result outside of another agreement to swap prisoners. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
EU Proposes Cutting Oil Price Cap to $45 to Hit Russian Revenue
The European Union proposed banning the Nord Stream pipelines and cutting the Group of Seven oil price cap to $45 as part of a new sanctions package that aims to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war against Ukraine. 'Russia's goal is not peace it's to impose the rule of might,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels Tuesday. 'Therefore we are ramping up pressure on Russia because strength is the only language that Russia will understand.'
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Putin Ramps Up Drone-Making to Unleash Attacks on Ukrainian Cities
Russia is stepping up drone production enabling massive daily attacks on Ukrainian cities as its troops inch forward on the battlefield and Moscow presses Kyiv to concede to peace terms. The Kremlin unleashed deadly destruction in the capital Kyiv and the Black Sea city of Odesa overnight, firing 315 drones and seven missiles, according to Ukraine. That followed a barrage of a record 479 drones the previous night, which itself surpassed the high set on June 1.
