Ukraine announced on Sunday that it had struck a Su-57 fighter jet that was moored at an airfield in southern Russia. This was the first time Ukraine had launched an attack on Moscow's most recent stealth aircraft.
The flagship Su-57 was introduced to Russia's aerospace forces in December 2020 and was intended to replace the Su-27 and MiG-29, which were Soviet-designed fighter aircraft that were ageing.
"On 8 June 2024, a Su-57 multi-purpose fighter jet of the aggressor state was struck at the Akhtubinsk airfield in Russia's Astrakhan region, 589 kilometres (366 miles) from the line of contact," the Ukrainian GUR military intelligence reported.
"The defeat of the Su-57 is the first such case in history," according to the GUR.
Additionally, it released satellite imagery that it claimed demonstrated fire damage and debris in the vicinity of a Su-57 aircraft that was stationary on an airfield.
The agency did not explicitly claim culpability for the strike or specify the method by which it was executed.
In drone attacks, Ukraine frequently targets military and energy facilities on Russian territory, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the front line.
In accordance with Moscow's defence ministry, three drones were destroyed by Russian air defences over the Astrakhan region on Saturday.
