DIU: Two Su-57s may have been hit at airfield in Astrakhan region
During the attack on the Akhtubinsk airfield in Astrakhan region on June 8, not one, but two Russian Su-57 fighters could have been hit.
This was stated by the representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, during a TV marathon.
He said that there is also information about the deaths and injuries among Russian personnel as a result of the strike on the airfield.
According to Yusov, Su-57 aircraft, without entering the airspace of Ukraine, inflict missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Russia has few of these aircraft left, as they have only recently entered mass production, the intelligence official said.
He also commented on the work of Russian air defense, which did not prevent the strikes on the airfield: “Everything would have been much better with air and missile defense if they had been concentrated on the territory of the Russian Federation itself, and not on the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, in particular in Crimea (...) More air defense at home means more intact facilities on the territory of Russia.”
Earlier, the DIU, citing satellite images of the plane's parking area, announced that a Su-37 had been hit at an airfield in Astrakhan region. The satellite images show that on June 7, the Su-57 was intact, and the next day, craters from the explosion and characteristic fire spots appeared near it, caused by a fire damage.
The DIU noted that the airfield is located 589 kilometers from the combat line.
The Su-57 is Russia's most advanced fighter jet capable of using Kh-59 and Kh-69 missiles for strikes. The Russian Aerospace Forces have few units of these combat aircraft in service, Ukrainian intelligence officials say.