In a world-first operation, Ukrainian special forces have destroyed a combat aircraft using a naval drone.
The strike, carried out on May 2, 2025, targeted a Russian multirole fighter jet, the Su-30SM, which was shot down over the Black Sea by an unmanned maritime drone Magura, equipped with an R-73 surface-to-air missile.
+ Click here to watch the video
The operation was carried out by soldiers from Group 13, a special unit of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other Defense Forces.
+ Ukraine repels combined Russian attack with tanks and motorcycles in Toretsk
According to military sources and the pro-Kremlin Russian channel Rybar, the jet was struck approximately 50 kilometers west of Novorossiysk, a key naval port where Russia maintains part of its Black Sea Fleet.
Valued at approximately 50 million dollars, the Su-30SM — part of the 43rd Naval Attack Aviation Regiment — burst into flames before crashing into the sea. Ukrainian sources claim the strike was a strategic success, forcing Russian forces to conceal what remains of their fleet in the Novorossiysk harbor.
This was not the Magura platform’s first success. On December 31, 2024, V5 maritime drones were already used to down two Russian Mi-8 helicopters, marking the first successful use of a naval drone against aerial targets.
Source and images: Telegram @Rybar / @DIUkraine / Wikimedia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
