Ukraine Destroys Su-34 Jets at Russia’s Marinovka Airfield in Volgograd
Ukrainian drones launched a precision strike overnight on June 27, targeting four Su-34 fighter-bombers stationed at the Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd region, located roughly 900 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The operation was confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff and the Ukrainian National News (UNN).
Aircraft Hit
According to preliminary data, two Su-34s were destroyed while two others sustained serious damage. These aircraft are heavily relied upon by Russia to conduct bombing raids on Ukrainian territory, particularly with guided aerial bombs (KABs).
The attack also ignited a fire in the airfield’s technical and operational zone, a vital facility for aircraft maintenance and repairs. The blaze significantly increased the extent of the damage.
The strike was a joint operation carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Special Operations Forces, and military intelligence, utilizing long-range, high-precision drones.
Strategic Significance
Marinovka is Russia’s only major airfield near Ukraine equipped with hardened aircraft shelters. Twelve protective hangars were completed in early 2024, but they failed to prevent damage from the drone strike. The use of fragmentation munitions proved highly effective against these defenses.
Targeting the airfield’s maintenance hub not only removed two combat-ready jets from Russia’s fleet but also disrupted broader operational readiness in the region.
This strike follows a wider escalation in Ukraine’s drone warfare strategy. On June 1, during “Operation Spiderweb,” SBU drones hit five Russian air bases across multiple time zones, damaging nearly two dozen strategic aircraft, including several Tu-95 bombers.
More recently, on June 19, Ukrainian drones targeted airports in Volgograd, Saratov, and Kaluga, causing flight disruptions and increasing civilian anxiety across affected regions.
Ukraine’s ongoing drone offensive is a deliberate effort to:
Dismantle Russia’s bomber fleet and limit its ability to conduct airstrikes
Expose weaknesses in Russian air defenses, even at fortified airfields
Increase pressure on Russia’s military logistics and civilian population centers
Demonstrate Ukraine’s growing proficiency in long-range drone warfare
Russia’s reaction
In response to the overnight attacks, Russian authorities imposed temporary restrictions on both ground and air traffic. Blasts near the Don River bridge in Kalachyovsky District forced the closure of a key transportation route.
Russia claimed to have shot down 39 Ukrainian drones, including 13 over Volgograd region. However, the damage at Marinovka suggests that several drones penetrated air defenses and struck critical infrastructure.
Russian military bloggers estimate that the destroyed aircraft was worth several billion dollars. Their own Telegram channels have confirmed the losses, acknowledging that the aircraft were successfully targeted and destroyed.
Russians are upset, not just by the scale of the loss but by the incompetence that allowed it to happen. The strike has exposed serious gaps in Russia’s defenses and raised uncomfortable questions about how such high-value assets were left so vulnerable.
