Russian Su-30 fighter jet on fire, locomotives disabled

Ukrainian intelligence agents carried out a successful operation in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, a region in the North Caucasus bordering the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

The operation resulted in the destruction of a Russian Su-30 fighter jet and the disabling of three locomotives.

“On December 14, an enemy Su-30 fighter jet burned down near the airfield in the city of Krymsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia,” HUR reported via Telegram, accompanying the announcement with a video of the aftermath.

Su-30SM fighters are a vital component of the Russian Air Force, supporting operations in the Kremlin’s so-called “special military operation” (SVO) in Ukraine. According to the research organization InformNapalm, Russia has approximately 130 Su-30SM fighters, of which at least 15 have been lost during the war.

The operation also included an attack in the city of Krasnodar on 13 December, where a fire disabled three railway locomotives. “The aggressor used these military facilities in his criminal war against Ukraine,” the report read.

In an earlier incident on November 15, a wave of drone strikes targeted military assets in Krasnodar Krai, including the Crimean military airfield, located approximately 220-250 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

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Chechen police, military bases targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone strike

The attack reportedly targeted an OMON base, the Chechen Interior Ministry’s 2nd Regiment and a military base linked to the Russian war effort.

The airfield hosts the 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment under the 1st Composite Aviation Division of the 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army. This regiment operates Su-27SM3 single-seat air superiority fighters (NATO: Flanker) and Su-30M2 two-seat multi-role fighters (NATO: Flanker-C) capable of both air superiority and ground attack missions.

During the November 15 attack, drone debris caused damage in several locations. In Krymsk, debris hit four properties and damaged the roof of a house and a car. In the village of Poltavskaya in the Krasnoarmeisky district, debris damaged the roof of another house and broke windows of a neighboring property. Russian authorities reported no injuries.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, citing data from the Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds, the Ukrainian military destroyed at least 33 Russian Su-34 fighter jets between February 2022 and September 2024.