Russian pro-war Telegram channels and later Ukrainian sources reported the loss of a Su-30SM fighter jet from the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation near Ukraine’s Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on August 14.
According to these reports, communication with the twin-seat aircraft was lost in the vicinity of the island.
Hours later, Russian military-linked bloggers and channels close to the Ministry of Defense stated that the jet was either shot down or crashed due to technical reasons. Both pilots were reported dead.
The Telegram channel Military Informant wrote: “A Su-30SM from the naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet was lost near Snake Island. The rescue operation to locate the crew was unsuccessful.”
Ilya Tumanov, who runs the Fighterbomber channel, confirmed the loss of the aircraft and its crew.
Debris was reportedly found at sea. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not issued any statement.
The Su-30SM, produced by Irkut Corporation, is a twin-engine multirole fighter used by both the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Navy’s Black Sea Fleet. It is deployed in the Black Sea region for patrol, escort, and strike missions.
According to open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, Russia has now lost a total of 13 Su-30SM aircraft since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Snake Island is located in the northwestern Black Sea and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after a radio exchange went viral at the start of the war, in which Ukrainian soldiers used an expletive in rebuffing a demand by the Russian warship Moskva to surrender.