The Ukrainian Armed Forces announced a strike on Su-57 and Su-34 in the Chelyabinsk region

Ukraine claims drones attacked Shagol airfield 1,700 km from the border

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced on May 1 that Ukrainian drones attacked several Su-57 fighters and one Su-34 fighter-bomber at the Shagol airfield in the Chelyabinsk region.

According to the department, the strike was carried out on April 25 by unmanned systems. The General Staff emphasized that the operation was aimed at “reducing the strike potential” of Russia and defeating the aviation involved in attacks on the territory of Ukraine.

“The extent of the damage is being determined,” the department said.

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There is no independent confirmation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ statements

The Ukrainian side notes that the airfield is located approximately 1,700 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, which indicates a significant range of the operation.
The monitoring telegram channel Exilenova+ published satellite images for April 17 and 26, claiming that they show the consequences of the impact - craters and possible traces of damage to equipment.

There is no independent confirmation of these data.

Russia did not comment on statements about the attack on military aviation. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that on April 25, Ukrainian drones attacked the Chelyabinsk region.

The head of the region, Alexei Teksler, announced an attempt to attack “one of the infrastructure facilities” and claimed that there was no destruction or casualties.

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Su-57 is the most modern Russian combat aircraft

Su-57 fighters are considered the most modern aircraft in the Russian aviation, and Su-34 are actively used to attack ground targets. Both of them are considered expensive and have limited availability in service.

If the version of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is confirmed, we can talk about the defeat of several high-value aircraft at once. This will also mean the ability of Ukrainian drones, or their combinations with guidance systems, to operate at distances of almost 2 thousand kilometers from the border.

Previously, “Verstka” talked about a massive attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones on Russian strategic airfields on June 1, 2025. UAVs with artificial intelligence "Osa" flew out of containers of vans parked near airfields and hit equipment. According to Ukrainian data, 41 long-range bombers TU-22 and TU-95 were hit, OSINT researchers said about 15. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced 3 damaged aircraft.

Photo: Su-57. Vladislav06112019/CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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