‘Resistance to Putinism Is Growing’: $50M Russian Fighter Burned in Sabotage

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reports the destruction of a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet following what it described as a “successful sabotage operation.”

In a video posted on Telegram, the agency showed the jet burning in the distance, accompanied by the message: “An enemy Su-30SM fighter jet was destroyed in Russia – resistance to putinism is growing.”

While Kyiv Post could not independently verify the time or location of the footage, the HUR claims the incident occurred at the Rostov-on-Don Central airfield, where the aircraft reportedly caught fire and burned down.

According to the intelligence agency, saboteurs successfully infiltrated the site and destroyed the plane. The jet bore the tail number “35” and is estimated to be worth around $50 million.

“The scale of forces ready to resist the Kremlin and carry out acts of demilitarization of the aggressor state is growing,” the HUR statement said, concluding with its customary: “For every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people, there will be just retribution.”

HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov also commented on the incident, writing on Telegram:

“Minus another expensive Russian fighter – the Su-30SM, which the occupiers used in the war against Ukraine, in particular for air bomb strikes, burned down right at the Rostov airfield.”

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The Su-30SM (NATO: “Flanker-H”) is a 4+ generation multirole fighter developed by the Irkut Corporation for the Russian Aerospace Forces. It features thrust-vectoring engines, phased-array radar, and modern avionics.

The jet is capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions and can carry up to 8,000 kg (17,637 pounds) of weapons, including guided missiles and bombs. It is also equipped with a 30mm GSh-30-1 autocannon, in-flight refueling capability, and SAP-518 electronic warfare pods for radar jamming and countermeasures.

According to the investigative group InformNapalm, Russia has around 130 Su-30SM fighters.

In mid-December 2024, Ukrainian intelligence carried out a successful sabotage operation in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, a region in the North Caucasus bordering the Black and Azov Seas. The mission resulted in the destruction of a Russian Su-30 fighter jet and the disabling of three locomotives.

“An enemy Su-30 fighter jet burned down right at the airfield in the town of Krymsk, Krasnodar Krai,” HUR said in a statement on Telegram, along with a video of the aftermath.

In September 2024, Ukraine’s HUR successfully shot down a Russian Su-30SM fighter jet over the Black Sea using a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS). The exact system used was not disclosed.

“Peak to the depths – intelligence scouts in the Black Sea destroyed the Russian Su-30SM,” read the caption accompanying a video of the incident shared by HUR.

According to the agency, the downed jet was part of the 43rd Separate Naval Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, based at the Saki airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The Crimean Wind monitoring group confirmed the jet had crashed into the Black Sea. Their report stated that on the morning of Sept. 11, the Su-30SM and a Su-35 launched Kh-31P anti-radar missiles toward mainland Ukraine. The Su-30SM reportedly fired four of its six missiles before disappearing from radar.