Ukraine destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet using a missile fired from a seaborne drone, the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (DIU) announced on Saturday, and said this was the world’s first downing of a combat aircraft by a maritime drone.
“On May 2, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine special operations unit, in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Forces of Ukraine, eliminated a russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea, marking the first time in history that a naval drone has destroyed a manned combat aircraft,” it said in a statement and shared a video of the drone strike.
The “historic strike” was executed by DIU’s Group 13, as per the statement.
The Russian Su-30, a multi-role fighter jet with an estimated value of $50 million, was “engulfed in flames mid-air before crashing into the sea.”
Ukraine carried out the operation near the port in Novorossiisk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea.
The Russian defence ministry is yet to comment on the Ukrainian claim.
47 injured in Russia’s drone strike on Kharkiv
Meanwhile, a Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, wounded 47 people, local officials said. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations in the city late Friday. Residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and vehicles were damaged in the assault, according to Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Following the drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged “stronger” and “more decisive” support from the country’s allies.
“While the world hesitates with decisions, nearly every night in Ukraine turns into a nightmare, costing lives. Ukraine needs strengthened air defense. Strong and real decisions are needed from our partners – the United States, Europe, all our partners who seek peace,” he wrote on X in the early hours of Saturday.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 183 exploding drones and decoys overnight. Of those, 77 were intercepted by Ukrainian defenses, while a further 73 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The Air Force also reported that Russia launched two ballistic missiles.
