Su-34 bomber damaged at Russia’s Akhtubinsk airfield following AFU strike – General Staff
Following the 20 August 2026 strike on Akhtubinsk airfield in Russia’s Astrakhan region, damage to a Su-34 aircraft and a fuel spill at the facility have been confirmed.
According to Censor.NET, the General Staff confirmed this.
Details of the strike
- Akhtubinsk airfield is home to the Russian Defense Ministry’s 929th State Flight Test Centre, one of the principal centres for testing and evaluating new military aircraft and weapons systems.
The enemy uses it to station Su-34 aircraft deployed to carry out strikes with guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. The airfield is located approximately 650 kilometres from the line of contact.
Background
- The Russian Su-34 multirole fighter-bomber is the primary carrier of guided aerial bombs equipped with Universal Gliding and Correction Modules, as well as unified inter-service glide munitions.
- According to the War&Sanctions project, one-third of the companies involved in supplying components for the production of these aircraft are not subject to restrictions imposed by any country in the sanctions coalition and may therefore continue to access the necessary foreign components and technologies.
The airfield in Akhtubinsk has previously been targeted by Ukraine. It was there in June 2024 that the Defense Forces struck a Su-57 fighter for the first time in history—an aircraft the Russians describe as a "fifth-generation fighter." According to Ukrainian intelligence, such aircraft are rare, with only "a handful" in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces.
