Ukraine said on Sunday its forces shot down an ultra-modern Russian fighter jet stationed at an air base nearly 600 kilometers from the front lines, after its Western allies allowed Kiev to use their weapons for limited strikes inside Russia.
Kiev’s main military intelligence service shared satellite images it said showed the aftermath of the attack. If confirmed, it would mark Ukraine’s first known successful strike on a Su-57 fighter jet, hailed as Moscow’s most advanced military aircraft.
In one photo, black soot marks and small craters can be seen placing a strip of concrete around the parked aircraft. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the attack took place on Saturday at the Akhtubinsk base in southern Russia, about 589 kilometers from the front line.
It was not immediately clear what weapons were used, but the airfield’s distance from Ukraine suggests it was likely hit by drones.
The attack comes after the United States and Germany recently authorized Ukraine to strike several targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kiev. Ukraine has already used US weapons to strike inside Russia under guidelines newly approved by President Joe Biden allowing the use of US weapons for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city
