Ukraine strikes Russian Su-24 bomber at Crimean airfield, multiple military targets across occupied south and east
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a Russian Su-24 bomber at the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea on 15 September and during the night of 16 September, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The same set of strikes hit drone storage and control sites, an ammunition depot, and fuel and lubricant bases in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. The extent of damage to the bomber is being clarified.
Key points
- Su-24 bomber struck at Saky airfield in occupied Crimea on 15 September and overnight into 16 September; extent of damage being clarified
- Drone storage, preparation and launch facility hit in the Donetsk area
- Drone control points struck in Staromlynivka and Pokrovsk (Donetsk Oblast) and Pokrovske (Zaporizhzhia Oblast)
- Ammunition depot struck in Dovzhansk, Luhansk Oblast
- Fuel and lubricant storage bases hit in Rovenky (Luhansk Oblast) and Berdiansk (Zaporizhzhia Oblast)
- 'Grenader' technical reconnaissance posts struck in Suvorove and Rysove in occupied Crimea
- Information reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine via Facebook
Why it matters
The hit on a Russian Su-24 bomber at a rear airfield in Crimea is a strike on a high-value Russian air asset far behind the front lines. The accompanying strikes on drone storage, launch and control infrastructure, ammunition, and fuel sites together target the logistics that sustain Russia's strike-drone operations and ground offensives in southern and eastern Ukraine.
What happened
According to Ukraine's General Staff, the country's Defence Forces struck a Russian Su-24 bomber at the Saky airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea on 15 September and during the night of 16 September. The degree of damage to the aircraft is being established. The same set of operations hit a facility used by Russian forces for storing, preparing, and launching strike UAVs in the Donetsk area, along with UAV control points in Staromlynivka and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and in Pokrovske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. An ammunition depot was struck in Dovzhansk, Luhansk Oblast, and fuel and lubricant storage bases were hit in Rovenky, Luhansk Oblast, and Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Posts of the Russian 'Grenader' technical reconnaissance assets were also struck in Suvorove and Rysove in occupied Crimea. The information was published by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on its Facebook channel.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources cited for this account are Ukrainian. They describe the operation in the language of Ukraine's General Staff — 'Defence Forces,' 'struck,' 'occupiers' — and consistently characterize Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as 'temporarily occupied,' restating Ukraine's position that these territories are sovereign Ukrainian land. The General Staff is treated as the authoritative source, with the caveat that damage to the Su-24 is still being clarified.
Background
The Saky airfield in Crimea has been a known base for Russian military aviation during the war. Ukraine's General Staff regularly posts updates on strikes against Russian military targets on its Facebook channel. The phrase 'temporarily occupied' in the sources refers to Crimea, occupied since 2014, and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, occupied since 2022.