Ukraine strikes Russian airfield nearly 1,700 kilometers away, damages 2 fighter jets, General Staff says

Prefer on Google by Kateryna Hodunova Illustrative purposes: A Su-34 in the sky over Kubinka air base in Russia on Aug. 29, 2020. (Mikhail Tokmakov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Ukrainian forces hit a Su-57 fighter jet and a Su-34 fighter-bomber on May 1 at the Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk, Russia, the General Staff said. As Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russia and its military infrastructure, the Kremlin has redeployed much of its air force farther from the Ukrainian border. At the same time, Ukrainian drones are already capable of flying more than 2,000 kilometers (about 1,240 miles), posing a threat even to aircraft deep inside Russian territory. The extent of damage to both fighter jets is still being assessed, the General Staff said. The damaged aircraft were located about 1,700 kilometers (around 1,060 miles) from the Ukrainian border, according to the General Staff. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims and Russia has not commented on the reported strikes. Russia's Su-57 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter designed for air superiority and precision strikes, while the Su-34 is a twin-seat fighter-bomber used for tactical and long-range bombing missions in Russia's war against Ukraine. This is not Ukraine's first successful drone operation against Russian aircraft. Ukraine carried out an unprecedented mass drone strike as part of Operation Spiderweb on June 1, targeting four Russian air bases deep inside the country. During the attack, Ukrainian forces reportedly damaged 41 aircraft, using drones concealed in trucks deployed at multiple locations across Russia. Since then, Ukraine has continued to target Russian air assets. Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck five Russian fighter jets overnight on Aug. 4 at an airfield in Saky, a city in Russian-occupied Crimea.