Pictures show Ukraine attack on Russian stealth fighter Su-57 “Felon”

Summary and key points: Ukraine claims it may have damaged a Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet at the Akhtubinsk air base, 586 kilometers from Ukraine.

– Pictures released by Ukrainian intelligence show the air base before and after the attack, with visible craters and fire damage.

-Russian sources confirmed on Telegram that the Su-57 suffered shrapnel damage, but the Kremlin has not acknowledged the incident.

– If this is true, it raises questions about the effectiveness of Russian air defenses.

Ukraine allegedly damages Russian Su-57 fighter jet on the ground

So far, no fifth-generation fighter jets have been lost in aerial combat – but Ukraine claimed its forces may have damaged at least one Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”) of the Russian Aerospace Forces on Saturday.

The modern multi-role fighter aircraft was attacked on the ground at Akhtubinsk air base, about 365 miles (almost 600 kilometers) from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) published images of the air base and the Su-57 on the social messaging service Telegram, stating: “The images show that on June 7, the Su-57 was still intact, and on June 8, explosion craters and characteristic hot spots due to fire damage were visible nearby.”

The images were widely shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

While Kyiv did not provide any information on how the air base was attacked or which units were involved, Russian propagandists on Telegram suggested that the base and the planes were hit by a drone.

The Su-57 is also known as the first Russian-built aircraft equipped with stealth technology. But even the best stealth technology obviously cannot hide it on the ground.

Russia remains silent on the extent of the damage Su-57 fighter jet damage

The Kremlin has neither confirmed that the base was attacked nor acknowledged that one of its most valuable fifth-generation fighters was the target.

Here, too, the only confirmation came from Russian war bloggers, who reported that the Su-57 had been “damaged by shrapnel.”

“It is now being decided whether it can be restored or not,” added the Telegram channel Russian Fighterbomber.

Although the attack has not been confirmed, if true, it would be the latest humiliation for Moscow, which has already seen numerous warships attacked in the Black Sea and aircraft damaged on the ground hundreds of kilometers from the front.

But even if the Su-57 were to be irreparably damaged, this would probably have little impact on the ongoing fighting, as the Kremlin largely keeps the Su-57 Felon out of combat operations.

It has been speculated that Moscow uses the Su-57 in combat only in limited roles and always from the safety of Russian airspace due to the limited numbers of these fifth-generation aircraft and their high cost.

One reason may be that he fears Ukraine’s air defenses, including the US-supplied MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system, which has proven effective against Russian missiles and drones. The loss of even a single Su-57 over Ukrainian skies would be a major propaganda blow for the Kremlin.

But now it appears that one of them was damaged on the ground. This could be almost as embarrassing, as it raises doubts about whether Russian air defense systems can actually protect Russian airspace.

When a high-value target like the Su-57 lands on the ground, it can be concluded that no place within a 600-kilometer radius of Ukraine is safe.

Author’s experience and expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has published over 3,200 articles for more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites in his twenty-year career as a journalist. He writes regularly about military equipment, weapons history, cybersecurity, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Author for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciuYou can send an email to the author: (email protected).

Main image is by X. All others are Creative Commons/Shutterstock.