Drones launched by Kyiv hit five Russian aircraft at an airfield in Crimea, destroying at least one and damaging two others, Ukraine has said.
The attack on the airfield in Saky in occupied Crimea also hit an ammunition storage depot, according to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
While Ukraine has destroyed such aircraft before, the latest attack shows Kyiv’s intent to use drones to target the base that is vital for Russia’s Black Sea operations and other military sites.
What To Know
Ukraine’s SBU said Monday that drones hit the Saky military airfield over the previous night in an attack conducted by Ukraine’s Alpha Special Operations Centre.
On Monday, the pro-Ukrainian X, formerly Twitter, account Special Kherson Cat posted that locals reported a drone attack on Crimea overnight, but there had been no visual confirmation as yet.
Ukraine said the attack completely destroyed a Sukhoi Su-30SM aircraft, damaged another one and also hit three Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft, although there were no details on any damage caused.
❗️The Security Service of Ukraine claims it successfully carried out a drone strike on the Russian Saky airfield in occupied Crimea last night damaging or destroying five Russian military aircraft as a result. One Su-30SM was reportedly destroyed, another damaged, as well as… https://t.co/2QD0rGMhCX pic.twitter.com/EZAAgBQr6m
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 4, 2025
The Su-30SM is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter aircraft first produced at the start of the last decade and costs between $35 million and $50 million, with the price tag being touted by the SBU. The Su-24 is a Soviet-produced strike bomber.
The SBU said that drone attacks also hit an aviation weapons depot at the airfield in what was another step toward weakening Russia’s military capabilities on the peninsula Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and whose recapture is one of Kyiv’s war aims.
It comes amid reports Tuesday that Ukrainian-launched drones targeted the Tatsinskaya railway station, 60 miles from Ukraine’s border in Russia in the Rostov Oblast.
The railway station is a logistics hub for nearby oil infrastructure and is used to transport grain.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least nine civilians and injured at least 17 others over the past day, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Moscow’s forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile from Russia’s Bryansk Oblast and 46 Shahed-type drones and decoy drones from Kursk, Bryansk, Orel, and Primorsk-Akhtarsk.
A drone strike targeting the Chuhuiv district, southeast of Kharkiv overnight Monday killed three civilians, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
What People Are Saying
Ukraine’s security services: “The successful special operation of the SBU in Saky is another step toward weakening the enemy’s ability to wage a war of aggression against Ukraine. The occupiers must remember that they will never feel safe on our land!”
What Happens Next
President Donald Trump said his envoy Steve Witkoff would go to Russia this week as speculation mounts over whether a ceasefire can be struck as Moscow is likely to continue its bombardment of Ukraine cities and Kyiv will step up its attacks on the Kremlin’s military infrastructure.
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