Ukraine said it sneaked into a guarded Russian airbase and destroyed 2 jets worth up to $100 million combined

• Ukraine said it destroyed two Russian aircraft by sneaking into a hangar without being detected.

• This adds to a string of incidents in which Ukraine claims to have shot down a Russian warplane.

• Aircraft have proven vulnerable to attack even at their bases in this war, sparking some concern in the West.

Ukraine said it destroyed two more Russian fighter jets by sneaking into an airport hangar over the weekend, estimating the total value of the destroyed aircraft to be as high as $100 million.

The attack increased the number of Russian warplanes. Ukraine says it can even strike at bases hundreds of miles from the front lines. Business Insider was unable to independently verify Ukraine’s claims.

Ukraine’s destruction of aircraft hampers Russia’s ability to effectively invade Ukraine from the air. It has also raised concerns among Western militaries about how well they can protect their assets if potential adversaries such as Russia and China use similar tactics against them.

Ukraine says it shot down two Russian Su-30 aircraft

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service (GUR) reported the shootdown on Monday, saying its action disabled two Russian Su-30 aircraft.

It shared video footage that appeared to be taken inside a hangar, showing the tail numbers of two planes, the interior of the cockpit and flames inside at least one aircraft.

The GUR said an agent was able to enter an airport near the city of Lipetsk in western Russia, attack jets in a hangar, and then leave the airport undetected by studying the airport’s patrol routes and guard change schedules.

The Su-30 is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. GUR initially said it hit a Su-30 and a Su-27, but later revised the information to say it was two Su-30s.

GUR did not elaborate on how the attack was carried out.

The attack, planned to last two weeks, was allegedly carried out by an agent linked to the resistance movement against the Russian invasion. There are multiple resistance groups in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine that oppose the war and claim destructive attacks against Russia.

Ukraine has previously destroyed Russian aircraft by placing personnel close to Russian air bases. Earlier this year, it surreptitiously sneaked more than a hundred drones into Russian territory and launched them near key air bases, hitting dozens of aircraft in Operation Spider Web.

That has raised concerns about how the West protects its aviation assets, including those close to China.

Ukraine also scored another major victory this weekend, with Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) saying on Saturday that drones hit two Russian Su-27 jets at an airport. Business Insider was unable to independently verify Ukraine’s account of the attack.

Fighting for air supremacy

The war in Ukraine was a fierce air superiority battle, and neither side could obtain complete air superiority. This resulted in the war now being a slow-motion battle, with neither army able to easily launch large-scale attacks or bombings on the other’s positions.

Ukraine has used new and innovative means to target Russian aircraft, including the development of long-range drones and naval drones, which it says destroyed a Russian aircraft for the first time in history.

Russia was also able to destroy Ukrainian warplanes throughout the war and demonstrated its own ability to conduct long-range attacks. It launches a large number of drones and missiles across Ukraine, striking military and civilian targets.

This war also sounded a wake-up call to the West. The West has not fought such a war in decades, and has instead been engaged in conflicts, such as counterinsurgency operations, in which it has huge advantages over its opponents, especially in the air.

Since the end of the Cold War, the West has not invested heavily in ground-based air defense systems, which are critical to stopping attacks common in that war. Investing in them is now a priority for NATO.

Another problem for the West is that this war has shown that cheap drones worth thousands of dollars can destroy aircraft and other advanced weapons worth millions of dollars.

The type of air defense the United States and its allies have focused on for decades is unsustainable. For example, a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system interceptor missile sells for $7 million. Launching dozens of drones to thwart an attack by cheap drones is something no Western military would be willing to do.

NATO is borrowing some technology developed in Ukraine to find cheaper defenses to thwart drone attacks and protect assets such as bases.

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