Pro-Ukrainian Partisans Torch Russian Fighter Jets Deep Inside Russia, Kyiv Says

Pro-Ukrainian resistance fighters have set fire to two Russian Su-30 fighter jets during a nighttime operation in Russia’s Lipetsk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR reported on December 22.

According to HUR, the sabotage was carried out on the night of December 21 at a military airfield near the city of Lipetsk, located roughly 340 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. As a result of the operation, two combat aircraft stationed at the base were engulfed in flames. Initial information suggested that one Su-30 and one Su-27 had been damaged, but Ukrainian intelligence later clarified that both aircraft were Su-30s.

HUR said the operation followed detailed reconnaissance of patrol patterns and guard schedules at the facility. This preparation allowed the operative to penetrate the secured area, ignite the fighter jets inside a hangar, and leave the airfield without being detected. Planning for the action reportedly took around two weeks and was executed by a representative of the underground resistance movement opposing the Russian authorities.

Ukrainian intelligence estimates the total value of the disabled aircraft at up to 100 million US dollars. The Su-30 is a two-seat, multirole fighter with extended range and advanced avionics, capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Its predecessor, the Su-27, is primarily designed for achieving air superiority. Both types are regularly deployed by Russia in operations against Ukraine, including air patrols, interceptions, and support for missile and bomb strikes.

The incident in Lipetsk comes amid a broader campaign by Ukraine to degrade Russian military capabilities through operations inside occupied territories and on Russian soil. Just days earlier, on December 20, Ukrainian drones struck two Russian Su-27 fighter jets at the Belbek airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia has lost a total of 432 aircraft since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, a figure that includes planes destroyed in combat, drone strikes, and sabotage operations.