Ukraine has become the first country in the world to destroy a combat aircraft using a maritime drone, after downing a Russian Su-30 fighter jet over the Black Sea, according to a statement released Saturday by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR).
The operation, carried out on May 2 by a special GUR unit in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the country’s Defense Forces, involved a missile fired from a Magura-type unmanned naval platform near the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region. This port has become strategically important to Moscow after much of its fleet was relocated there from the annexed Crimean peninsula.
After being hit, the Su-30—valued at $50 million according to the report—caught fire and crashed into the sea.
The GUR noted that in December last year, Ukrainian special forces had already succeeded in shooting down two Russian Mi-8 helicopters using the same type of naval drone, underscoring Kyiv’s growing prowess in unmanned warfare technology.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the interception of eight British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, three Ukrainian Neptune-MD missiles, and the destruction of 14 naval drones over the Black Sea.
The governor of Novorossiysk, Andrei Kravchenko, confirmed via Telegram that the port city had suffered a massive attack, which injured at least five people—including two children—and damaged three grain silos.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, the Russian military said the assault included aerial drones, unmanned boats, and guided missiles.
For its part, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that during the night of May 2–3, Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles—from both Russia’s Rostov region and occupied Crimea—along with 183 drones of various types. Of those, 77 were shot down by Ukrainian defenses, while another 73 crashed without causing damage.
The drones were launched from Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, and Millerovo regions and targeted areas across eastern, northern, southern, and central Ukraine. The most affected regions were Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Mykolaiv.
The assault was repelled by Ukrainian aviation, anti-air missile units, mobile defense teams, and electronic warfare systems.
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