Ukraine’s SBU claims it destroyed Russian jet in Crimea, damaged aviation weapons depot

In another operation against Russian forces, Ukraine's domestic security service on Monday (August 4) said that it had destroyed one Russian fighter jet and damaged four more military aircraft in Russian-occupied Crimea. According to SBU statement, the Ukrainian drones destroyed a Su-30SM aircraft, damaged another, struck three Su-24s, and hit an aviation weapons depot.

The Su-30MS is a two-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter aircraft developed by Russia and the Su-24 is a twin-engine, supersonic strike bomber made by the Soviet Union. The two planes are used for attacks against Ukraine. According to Kyiv Independent, the fighter jets are also employed for patrolling, radar reconnaissance, guiding targets, and escorting long-range aircraft.

"The enemy suffered significant losses. After all, just one Su-30SM aircraft can cost an average of $35 to $50 million. As a result of a special operation by the Central Operational Command "A" of the SBU, an aviation weapons depot was also hit at the airfield," the official statement from the SBU read. "The successful special operation carried out by the SBU in Saki marks another step toward weakening the enemy's capacity to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine," the statement added further.

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According to the SBU, the Saky airbase in Crimea was targeted because of the important role it plays for Russia in the Ukraine war and Russian activities in the Black Sea. This strike on Russian military actions follows months after Ukraine's SBU rolled out Operation Spider's Web and attacked more than 40 Russian bombers at Olenya and Belaya airbases. During the operation in May, an SBU official informed Kyiv Independent that the agency struck more than 40 aircraft, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22 M3. Russia has yet to address the new strikes in Crimea.