Ukraine says Neptune missile strike destroyed two Russian Su-34 jets at Volgograd airfield
Ukraine's Navy said on October 29 that its forces destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in a missile strike on the Marinovka military airfield in Russia's Volgograd Oblast.
According to the Navy, Ukrainian forces used a long-range Neptune coastal missile system to strike aircraft stationed at the airfield near the settlement of Oktyabrsky.
The two jets belonged to Russia's 11th Composite Aviation Regiment, part of the 4th Composite Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The Ukrainian claim could not be independently verified.
The Russian Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona also reported the destruction of two aircraft, claiming that two Russian service members were killed and another two wounded in the attack.
The Su-34 is one of Russia's main aircraft used to launch guided aerial bombs against Ukrainian military positions and frontline communities.
The reported strike follows another Ukrainian Neptune missile attack on October 15 against the Borisoglebsk military airfield in Russia's Voronezh Oblast. Ukrainian officials said four Su-34M aircraft were destroyed and two others damaged in that operation.
Originally developed as an anti-ship missile, the Ukrainian-made Neptune has since been adapted for longer-range strikes against land targets.