Ukrainian cruise missiles hit six Su-34 bombers deep inside Russia

Satellite imagery of Russia’s Borisoglebsk air base shows that a Ukrainian Neptune missile strike destroyed four Su-34 fighter-bombers and badly damaged two more, backing up the Ukrainian Navy’s claim that it hit six of the jets on the night of Oct. 14–15.

The images, published by the Ukrainian aviation monitoring channel AviVector, compare the airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region before and after the attack. Pictures taken on Oct. 13 show six Su-34s parked at the spot that was later struck, while the post-strike imagery shows four of them completely destroyed and two with significant damage. Numerous pro-Russian Telegram channels have also acknowledged the losses.

The Ukrainian Navy said it attacked Borisoglebsk with its Neptune coastal missile system and that the strike hit six Su-34M bombers, the modernized version of the aircraft, and destroyed equipment used to support flight operations. Secondary explosions and a fire followed at the base, the Navy said.

“The destruction of enemy Su-34Ms significantly weakens the enemy’s aviation potential and reduces the intensity of tactical aviation use in the relevant areas of the front,” the Ukrainian Navy said.

The Su-34 is the main aircraft Russia uses to drop heavy guided glide bombs on Ukrainian troop positions and frontline towns. Fitted with wing kits, those bombs can be released tens of kilometers from the target, outside the reach of many Ukrainian short-range air defenses, which makes the bombers themselves a priority target for Kyiv.

Borisoglebsk hosts the 783rd training aviation center, one of the main schools for Russian strike and bomber pilots, along with units of the 105th composite aviation division that fly Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM jets, Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported. Residents reported a missile alert and a series of explosions in the town on the evening of Oct. 14.

The strike came days after Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation delivered a new batch of Su-34s to the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Ukraine developed the Neptune as an anti-ship missile, and it became widely known after two of them sank the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva in April 2022. Ukrainian engineers have since adapted the missile for strikes on land targets, and longer-range versions have hit military sites deep inside Russia.

The Ukrainian Navy said it is still assessing the full results of the attack on Borisoglebsk, including damage to support equipment and infrastructure at the base.