During an operation in the Black Sea, soldiers of a special unit of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) destroyed a Russian Su-30SM combat aircraft by a hit from an air defence system. The fighter jet that crashed into the sea belonged to the 43rd Separate Naval Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which is based at the airfield of Saki in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The occupiers lost contact with their combat aircraft on 11 September 2024 at around 5 am. Approximately three hours later, the Russians launched a search and rescue operation involving an An-26 aircraft, as well as Mi-8 and Ka-27 helicopters. In the afternoon, the invaders reported to the command about a characteristic stain of aviation fuel in the sea, 70 kilometres northwest of Cape Tarkhankut, and soon saw the wreckage of the downed Su-30SM. The cost of such an aircraft is approximately $50 million.

Official GUR channel on Telegram: https://t.me/DIUkraine