Russian military-affiliated sources have acknowledged the loss of a combat jet following a Ukrainian sea drone attack near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar reported the incident late Friday, writing, “Unfortunately, the enemy attack did not go unanswered. Yesterday evening, a Su-30 naval aviation fighter was hit 50 kilometers west of Novorossiysk by a drone boat carrying an R-73 surface-to-air missile.”
While official channels in Moscow have not released a formal statement, additional details were provided by Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the well-known Fighterbomber aviation blog. According to Tumanov, the aircraft crew ejected and was later rescued by a passing civilian cargo ship after landing in the water during the combined Ukrainian drone assault on the Russian naval base.
The aircraft involved is believed to be a twin-seat Su-30SM assigned to the 43rd Naval Attack Aviation Regiment of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Initially, the type of aircraft lost was unclear, with speculation pointing to either a Su-24 or Su-30. The loss adds to a growing list of naval and aerial assets targeted by Ukraine’s expanding arsenal of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
This is not the first reported case of Ukrainian sea drones engaging Russian aircraft. Previous engagements reportedly involved successful strikes against helicopters and attempts to damage Su-30SM jets operating over the Black Sea. The integration of R-73 infrared-guided missiles onto USVs reflects Ukraine’s evolving capability to project air-denial threats beyond land-based systems.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR), said the attack occurred Friday using a modified variant of Ukraine’s Magura-7 uncrewed surface vessel (USV) armed with infrared-guided AIM-9 missiles.