Ukraine claims it hit Russian fighter jet during drone attack in Crimea

ISTANBUL

Ukraine claimed on Monday that it struck a Russian fighter jet during a drone attack on a military airbase in Crimea.

A statement by the Ukrainian Security Service claimed that it conducted a “special operation” using drones, during which it targeted the Saky air base, which has been under Russian control since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula.

The statement claimed that the attack completely destroyed a Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jet, while inflicting damage on another.

“Three Su-24 aircraft were also hit,” the statement said, further claiming that the base is “key” for Russia’s operations in the Black Sea.

It also claimed that an aviation weapons depot at the air base was also hit, arguing that one Su-30SM aircraft can cost an average of $35 to $50 million.

Russian authorities have not immediately commented on the claims, and independent verification of Kyiv’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing Ukraine war, now in its fourth year.