Ukrainian forces destroyed four Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and damaged two others in an overnight strike on a military airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
The attack was carried out using Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range Neptune missile, Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on social media platform X.
According to the Ukrainian president, the aircraft had been prepared for further attacks on Ukraine and were already loaded with aerial bombs.
“Last night, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck an airfield in the Voronezh region. Four Su-34 aircraft were destroyed and two more Su-34s were hit,” Zelenskyy said.
“The Russians used them to terrorize our people. These very warplanes were ready to launch new attacks on Ukraine and were loaded with aerial bombs.”
Zelenskyy confirmed that the strike was conducted using Ukraine’s Long Neptune missile, a long-range version of the country’s Neptune missile system.
“Our Long Neptune missile was used to strike the target. I thank the warriors of the Ukrainian Navy for their precision,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader also reported additional strikes against Russian military infrastructure, including a facility in Russia’s Oryol region used to store and launch attack drones.
A separate target was also struck in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy said, without providing further details about the nature of the target or the extent of the damage.
The president described the operations as a response to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian territory and vowed that Ukraine would maintain its long-range strike campaign.
“These are our justified responses to all of Russia’s terror against Ukraine. Russia is dragging out the war, so our long-range operations will continue,” Zelenskyy said.
The reported destruction of the Russian aircraft and the extent of damage at the other targeted facilities could not be independently verified.
Russia has not been cited as commenting on the reported strikes.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian military airfields, drone facilities and other military infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s ability to launch aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
