On June 27, Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) revealed that a coordinated operation with the Special Operations Forces (SOF) targeted the Marinovka airfield, located in Russia’s Volgograd region. This operation resulted in the destruction of two Su-34 frontline bombers and damage to two others.
The SSU emphasized that long-range drones were used in the attack, indicating a meticulous plan that allowed the enemy aircraft to be struck while remaining on the ground, preventing them from taking off.
Following the operation, the Open Source Intelligence community, CyberBoroshno, published satellite imagery confirming the strike. Analysts first shared a Sentinel-1 image demonstrating the presence of aircraft at the strike location just two days prior to the SSU and SOF’s action at Marinovka airfield.
A subsequent image, dated June 29, revealed distinct blast marks at the site where one of the bombers had been located, likely the result of the detonation of its external munitions.
The consequences of the strike have echoed within military circles, prompting reaction from Russian military blogger and pilot Ilya Fighterbomber Tumanov, who expressed concern over the “multi-billion-ruble losses that could and should have been avoided,” stating that “there’s no point in commenting on Marinovka at all.”