Russian aircraft were reportedly shot down by friendly fire during an operation against Ukrainian drones, according to authorities and independent sources.
On the night of October 17, Russian air defense forces reportedly accidentally shot down one of their own fighters Su-30SM about Crimea, according to the spokesman for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, Dmytro Pletenchuk, in an interview with the Apostrophe TV channel.
According to Pletenchuk, the fighter was carrying out a mission to intercept Ukrainian drones when it was mistakenly targeted by Russian systems. The crew, consisting of two pilots, managed to eject successfully before crashing.
“All information about the disaster is being collected,” said the Ukrainian Navy spokesman.
Russian sources confirm the incident
The episode was also reported by Russian military bloggers specializing in aviation, who confirmed that the aircraft was hit after launching a missile at one of the drones. A fire reportedly broke out on board, and the pilots were unable to control the flames, resulting in the plane’s total destruction.
Sources linked to Russian aviation suggest several possible causes for the incident, including technical failure, missile explosion after launch, impact of drone fragments or even identification error that led the air defense system to fire at its own fighter.
The role of the Su-30SM in Russian defense
According to analyst Denys Tonenchuk, from the MilitaryAviation project, interviewed by the Militarnyi portal, Russia has been intensively using Su-30SM fighters in its integrated air defense network, especially over the Black Sea.
“These aircraft are mainly involved in air defense operations, without the use of guided bombs. Some also carry out missions against maritime targets,” explained Tonenchuk.
The Su-30SM is a two-seat multirole fighter capable of attacking air, land and sea targets, as well as carrying out patrols in the Black Sea to combat Ukrainian naval drones.
Mounting losses in the Black Sea Fleet
In August, reports indicated that Russia had already lost more than half of the Su-30SMs belonging to the 43rd Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet, based in Crimea. At the start of the large-scale invasion, the regiment had 12 Su-30SM aircraft, the equivalent of a full squadron.
The loss of yet another aircraft of this type reinforces the coordination and saturation problems faced by Russian air defense systems, which constantly operate under high drone interception loads over the occupied peninsula.
Source and images: Militarnyi | Wikimedia Commons | Apostrophe TV. Content created with AI support and reviewed by the editorial team.
