First, Ukraine Claims To Hit Russian Fighter Jet Sukhoi Su-57 Latest Generation

Illustration of the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. (Wikimedia Commons/Anna Zvereva)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian troops for the first time hit Russia's newest generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet at an air base within Russia. This claim was conveyed by the Kyiv GUR defense intelligence agency on Sunday, June 9, while showing satellite images that he said confirmed the attack. In a Telegram post, the TEACHER did not specify how the Su-57 was hit or by which Ukrainian military unit. A popular Russian pro-war military blogger who called himself Fighterbomber and focused on aviation said reports of the attack on Su-57 were true and had been hit by a drone. GUR said the plane was parked at the Akhtubinsk airfield, which it said was 589 km (366 miles) from the front line in Ukraine between the Ukrainian and Russian invasion forces. "The images show that on June 7, Su-57 stood intact, and on June 8, there was a crater from the explosion and typical hotspots caused by damage from nearby fires," GUR said, with images posted alongside the message reported via Reuters, Sunday, June 9. Ukraine has been battling a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. The two sides carried out routine strikes hundreds of kilometers into enemy territory with missiles and drones. Ukraine, which does not have much missile weapons available to Moscow, has focused on manufacturing long-range drones to strike targets deep within Russia. Russian Blogger Fighterbomber said the fighter jet was hit by shrapnel and the damage was currently being assessed to see if the aircraft could be repaired. He said if the plane was deemed irreparable, it would be the first combat loss of the Su-57.

Russian government-owned news agency RIA Novosti military correspondent Alexander Kharchenko posted a cryptic message not directly acknowledging the attack but condemning the lack of hangars to protect military aircraft. Despite being touted as Russia's fifth-generation fighter to rival US-equivalent aircraft, the Su-57 was plagued by delays in development and accidents in 2019. According to its manufacturer, the production of aircraft series began in 2022. This is a heavy fighter jet capable of fulfilling the various roles of the battlefield.