Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces (SSO) reported that four enemy Su-34 fighter jets were destroyed at Manivka airbase in Russia’s Volgograd region. The airbase, located 400 km from Ukraine’s border, is home to an attack squadron of Su-34 planes.
The Su-34 bomber plane was developed in 1990 but didn’t enter service until 2014 due to financial and technical delays. Russia has lost at least 38 out of 163 Su-34 fighter jets since the invasion began.
If confirmed, this would bring the number of destroyed Su-34 bombers to 121, a 26% loss of this warplane class. Ukraine recently tested its first glide bombs with a 500 kg payload and a range of up to 60 kilometers.
The SSO reported that four enemy aircraft were destroyed, including Su-34 planes, at the technical and operational part of the airbase. This is not the first time Manivka airbase has been attacked; Ukrainian forces struck drones, ammo dumps, and fuel depots there last August.
Russia’s military faced another high-profile attack on its aviation in June, when 41 aircraft were damaged in a coordinated drone strike from within Russia.
Source: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/55327