Air War in Ukraine
Ukrainian Su-27. It’s a refurbished airplane sporting the early camouflage.
One Su-57 Less
Text: Miro Barič
In this installment, we will cover the period from June 1 to June 30. Both sides were preparing for the anticipated inclusion of F-16 fighter jets in the Ukrainian Air Force. The Ukrainian side continued clearing the airspace for them, targeting Russian airfields, radars, and air defense systems. In one of these operations, they managed to strike the latest Russian Su-57 fighter jet. Russia also attempted massive attacks on Ukrainian airfields where it expected the F-16s to be deployed.
The Akhtubinsk base after the Ukrainian attack on June 8. The Maxar satellite image shows three Su-57s, and at the very bottom, there is an aircraft silhouette painted on the surface to confuse drones.
A close-up of a damaged Su-57. In front of and behind it, to the left, there are traces of drone explosions. It is also visible that a shelter was being constructed for the airplane just before the attack.
We begin with a recap of Ukrainian attacks. On the night of Wednesday, June 5, to Thursday, June 6, Ukrainian drones attacked the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia's Rostov region. A large fire broke out after the strike. The refinery's anti-drone defenses, including metal cages and nets around the facility, proved ineffective.
On Saturday, June 8, Ukrainian drones appeared over North Ossetia for the first time. Their target was the Mozdok air base, out of which Tu-22M3 and MiG-31K aircraft operate. The base is located more than 700 kilometers from the front line in Ukraine. Russian authorities initially announced that three attacking drones were shot down and no damage occurred. However, social media later showed photos of drone debris indicating that at least six drones attacked (as there were that many engines in the photos). Sergey Menyaylo, head of the North Ossetia republic, later admitted to minor damages and fires, though details were not disclosed. Satellite images from June 12 captured traces of fires likely caused by the drone impacts, although they were far from the aircraft parking areas, which were empty as the Russians had evacuated their planes after the Ukrainian attack.
Expensive Prey
On the same day, June 8, Ukrainian drones also attacked the Akhtubinsk base in Russia's Astrakhan region, located 600 kilometers from the front line. In this operation, they managed to damage the most modern Russian fighter jet, the Sukhoi Su-57, with shrapnel. The 929th State Flight Test Center V. P. Chkalov is based in Akhtubinsk, where Su-57 planes were undergoing tests. They were parked in an uncovered area. Satellite images show two craters and burnt areas near one Su-57, just a few meters away from the aircraft, and even Russian Telegram channels acknowledged it was hit by shrapnel. Only a detailed inspection would reveal whether it could be repaired or was too damaged to be salvaged. Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that another Su-57 was also hit, but sustained only minor, repairable damage.
The following day, Sunday, June 9, marked a milestone for the Ukrainian Air Force as they launched their first attack on Russian territory using manned aircraft. The Russian command building in Belgorod was hit, likely using Western-guided munitions. Several countries had recently lifted restrictions on using such munitions on Russian soil in response to Russian attacks on the Ukrainian Kharkiv region.
Attacks on Russian air defense systems also continued. On Monday, June 10, two S-300 systems in Yevpatoria and the Tarkhankut Peninsula, and an S-400 system in Dzhankoy on occupied Crimea, were hit. On Tuesday, June 11, two radars – one from an S-300 and one from an S-400 system – in Belbek, also on occupied Crimea, were struck.
On the night of Friday, June 14, at least 70 Ukrainian drones attacked the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region of southern Russia. This strategically important base, home to Su-34 aircraft, had already faced attacks in April 2024. This time, too, Russia claimed to have intercepted and shot down all Ukrainian drones. However, Morozovsk residents reported explosions and fires, and satellite images after the attack revealed damage to a hangar and two Su-34 aircraft visible through holes in the roof. Near the hangar, there were burnt areas and fuel spill marks on the parking area. It is possible another aircraft was damaged and towed away before the satellite flyover.
During this mass attack, an air defense training center in Yeysk on the Russian side of the Azov Sea was also hit. One building was completely destroyed, and another was damaged. Ukrainian sources suggested the destroyed building might have housed up to 120 Iranian Shahed-136 drones, which Russia uses for attacks on Ukrainian cities. Four refineries in the Krasnodar region were also struck simultaneously.
A Tu-22M3 bomber in a photograph released by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The same type was stationed at the Mozdok base.
The S-500 Failed
In response to attacks on Russian air defense, the latest S-500 system, Triumphator, was deployed to occupied Crimea in the first half of the monitored period. However, its combat debut was an absolute failure. On Sunday, June 23, the ATACMS missile targeted the NIP-16 space communication complex in Vitino village near Yevpatoria. Built in 1958 iduring the USSR era, it served the Soviet space program. After the Crimea occupation, Russia took control and used it to communicate with military satellites for detecting Ukrainian targets and guiding bombs to them. Despite the complex being protected by the S-500 system, at least four ATACMS missiles breached the defense and hit the space communication station NIP-16.
On the same day, a tragedy occurred on the beach near Sevastopol. Missile parts fell into a crowd of vacationers. Official reports state that five people, including three children, died, and around 120 were injured. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of targeting civilians on the beach and the USA of providing coordinates for the beach to the ATACMS missile. Both claims are dubious. If the ATACMS missile with cluster munitions had indeed targeted vacationers directly, there would have been many more victims. The Russians themselves cast doubt on this by stating that the ATACMS missiles were intercepted, and only debris from one missile fell on the beach.
Russian social media also showed photos indicating that debris from a Russian air defense missile hit the beach. This incident highlighted the fact that Russians place radars and launchers near the beach, increasing the risk to vacationers.
On Friday, June 28, the S-500 battery itself came under attack. According to the Ukrainian side, an ATACMS missile hit its positions near the Dzhankoy airport, destroying the Russian system's radar. Satellite imagery recorded a fierce fire at the site where the battery was deployed. However, this information remains unconfirmed.
Debris of the Su-25SM with the designation RF-91968 and fuselage number "blue 09," which had been possibly shot down back in 2022, but the wreckage was only found now.
Russian Losses in the Air
The shooting down of a Russian Su-25 in the Donetsk region on the same day also remains unconfirmed. The Ukrainian National Guard captured it on an murky video, showing smoke after the aircraft was hit. Confirmation of the kill may come much later. On June 7, 2024, photos of the Su-25SM wreck with the RF-91968 marking and tail number “blue 09” were released for the first time. It was reportedly shot down in the Kherson region in 2022, and the pilot ejected. Russian soldiers only found its wreckage now, thus revealing its photos and confirming the kill.
Two Russian air losses during the monitored period are confirmed. The first occurred on Tuesday, June 11, in North Ossetia. During a training flight in the Alagir region’s mountain valley, a Su-34 aircraft crashed. Both pilots died. The official cause was technical failure (possibly exacerbated by inadequate maintenance during the war), though various other speculations emerged.
On Friday, June 21, during a massive Ukrainian drone attack, a Kamov Ka-29 helicopter of the Russian Navy Air Force was destroyed over the Black Sea near Anapa in Krasnodar Krai. All four crew members perished. According to several Russian sources, they were mistakenly hit by a missile from the Russian Pantsir system, which was countering Ukrainian drones. It is also possible that the Ka-29 was on a mission against Ukrainian naval drones, which hit it with an anti-aircraft missile. We previously reported that they started carrying them.
The training center in Yeisk on satellite images from Planet Labs – see condition before the attack above and below after the Ukrainian attack. The building on the left was hit in the upper part, and the warehouse on the right was completely destroyed.
The Russian Morozovsk base after the attack by more than 70 Ukrainian drones on June 14. The image was taken by Planet Labs.
Close-up of a hangar with a broken roof, through which a pair of Su-34s can be seen.
Below the damaged hangar, a large fuel spill can be seen on the surface, possibly from another damaged aircraft.
Ukrainian Losses
During the monitored period, the Ukrainian side did not suffer any aerial losses. However, Ukrainian airfields were repeatedly under Russian fire, resulting in damage to several aircraft. The first target in June was the civilian airport in Odessa. On Wednesday, June 5, photos were released showing the destruction of private acrobatic aircraft Su-31M with registration UR-TOP and Extra EA300SC with registration UR-WIN. An ultra-light aircraft Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat was also damaged in the stricken hangar.
The following day, Thursday, June 6, a video was released showing a Lancet suicide drone attacking a Ukrainian Su-25 at Kryvyi Rih airfield in the Dnipropetrovsk region. On Monday, June 10, a Su-27, likely a two-seat UB version, was destroyed in a Russian missile attack on the Myrhorod base in the Poltava region. On the same day, another Lancet attack at Kryvyi Rih destroyed another Su-25. In both cases, it is unclear whether the aircraft were operational, decommissioned, or decoys. The use of well-crafted decoys as bait for Russian drones at Kryvyi Rih airfield was documented back in November 2023.
Although there were almost no jet aircraft encounters and no such incidents were recorded during the monitored period, battles between Ukrainian propeller-driven planes and Russian reconnaissance drones were intense. These engagements, reminiscent of World War I, were captured in several videos. Photos also documented the successes of the Yak-52 crew, marking their victories on the aircraft's fuselage. This primitive but effective tactic involved the pilot of the training aircraft approaching the drone as closely as possible, and the second crew member shooting it down with a machine gun from the rear cockpit.
A hangar at the civilian airport in Ukrainian Odessa, where two private acrobatic aircraft were destroyed, and at least one ultralight was damaged.
Mirage to the Rescue
At the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landing, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Ukraine would receive Mirage 2000 fighters. It should be the 5F version, which entered service in the French Air Force in 2000. It features a new cockpit with several large displays replacing most instruments, an improved radar, and the capability to carry targeting pods. This version is optimized for air-to-air combat, carrying MICA missiles with a range of 60 to 80 km. However, it can also carry weapons against ground targets, which Ukraine already uses – SCALP-EG (Storm Shadow) missiles and Hammer guided bombs.
It is not yet known how many aircraft Paris will supply to Ukraine. The French Air Force has fewer than 30 Mirage 2000-5F in service, with more in reserve. The War Zone portal speculates whether France might try to reclaim fighters previously exported to other countries. For instance, Greece has hinted at wanting to get rid of its Mirage 2000-5s since it recently ordered new F-35 aircraft. Ukrainian pilots are expected to retrain on French fighters within 12 months.
For now, the Mirage 2000 remains a future prospect, and the F-16 deliveries have yet to begin, although they are imminent. The only fighter jets Ukraine has received from allies so far are MiG-29s delivered from Poland and Slovakia. At the end of the monitored period, the first photograph of an ex-Slovak aircraft with its tail number emerged. Until now, all such images had been retouched.
The photo shows a two-seat MiG-29UBS, which sported the bort the number 1303 in the Slovak Air Force. It retains its typical fishbone camouflage on the fuselage spine. The original Slovak number on the tail has been painted over in a slightly different shade of grey. In addition to the yellow-blue marking, the aircraft now has a new number – white 80. This number is on the side of the intake openings and in smaller format on the vertical tail surface.
A Ukrainian air defense system with kill markings indicating the battery’s achievements.
A Ukrainian MiG-29 from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade inventory.
A Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot showing a tattoo during flight.
A Ukrainian Su-27 with HARM missiles viewed from the cockpit of another aircraft.
A Ukrainian Yak-52 and its pilot in combat against the drones.
Images from the Russian drones taken during the combat with Yak-52.
A close-up of kill marks on the side of the Yak-52. The aircraft, originally with civilian registration UR-ODS and named Aleksandra, has its crew credited with shooting down eight drones. The symbols at the bottom indicate that the Yak-52 crew witnessed one Russian drone destroyed in a collision with a bird and another by a storm.
The former Slovak MiG-29UBS (ex 1303) now bears the number "white 80" in the Ukrainian Air Force.