Two Russian fighter jets - a Su-30 and a Su-27 - were put out of action overnight December 20–21 at a military airfield near Lipetsk, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR) said. The operation sparked a fire inside a protective aircraft hangar, neutralizing the high-value jets, according to the agency.
“The estimated combined value of the two struck fighter jets, which Russia used in the genocidal war against Ukraine, may be up to $100 million,” GUR said.
GUR said the Su-27 and Su-30, tail numbers “12” and “82,” were set ablaze thanks to “meticulous preparation, composure and professionalism,” adding that planning for the operation took two weeks.
GUR says the operation was carried out by a single member of a resistance movement opposed to President Vladimir Putin’s government. According to videos released by the agency, the operative slipped onto the base, got inside the aircraft, and then set them ablaze. The jets carried tail numbers “12” and “82.”
Planning for the sabotage at the airfield near Lipetsk took about two weeks, during which patrol routes and guard shift schedules were studied, allowing the operative to infiltrate a secured military site unnoticed. The aircraft targeted were inside a protective hangar.
The participant left the airfield without hindrance.
“Studied patrol routes and guard shift schedules made it possible to infiltrate the military facility of the aggressor state unnoticed, strike the Russian ‘Sukhois’ right inside a protective hangar, and then leave the airfield without hindrance,” the statement reads.
Separately, early on December 22 in Moscow, an explosion destroyed a Kia Sorento, killing Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, the head of operational training at Russia’s General Staff, according to reports. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal case on charges including murder committed in a socially dangerous way and illegal trafficking of explosives. Investigators said the leading theory is a terrorist attack “organized by Ukrainian special services,” though there has been no official confirmation of that claim.
Also overnight Monday, December 22, strategically important sites along Russia’s Krasnodar coast came under drone attack, local reports said. A series of explosions in the Temryuk district hit port infrastructure, triggering fires and damaging both shore facilities and vessels in the harbor.
