Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in coordination with other branches of the Defense Forces, struck the Marinovka airbase in Russia’s Volgograd region overnight on June 27, reportedly destroying four Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The strike targeted both combat aircraft and a technical operations zone used for servicing and repairing Russian warplanes.
“According to preliminary information, four enemy aircraft — specifically Su-34s — and the technical-operational section of the airfield were hit,” the General Staff said in an official statement.
The operation, part of Ukraine’s effort to degrade Russia’s airstrike capabilities, was described as a coordinated mission intended to reduce the aggressor’s ability to launch guided bomb and missile attacks on Ukrainian territory.
The Su-34, operated by Russia’s Aerospace Forces, is a twin-engine, supersonic strike aircraft frequently deployed in Russia’s bombing campaign against Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure. The aircraft is capable of launching guided glide bombs equipped with correction modules, allowing it to strike from long distances without entering Ukrainian air defenses.
Russian pro-government military channels appeared to confirm the strike. A post on the Fighterbomber Telegram channel, which is closely aligned with the Russian Aerospace Forces, stated, “There’s no point in commenting on Marinovka. More multi-billion-ruble losses that could and should have been prevented.”
The unusually frank statement sparked backlash among Russian military commentators, some of whom accused Fighterbomber’s author, Ilya Tumanov, of aiding Ukrainian efforts by serving as a source of “objective loss verification.”
Marinovka, located deep inside Russian territory, has been one of several key staging areas used by Russian tactical aviation.
The attack also demonstrates the reach and coordination of Ukrainian special operations teams, who have increasingly used asymmetric tactics to disrupt critical Russian military infrastructure far from the front lines.