Ukraine’s defense forces hit two Be-12 anti-submarine warfare aircraft in the temporarily occupied Crimea, using attack drones.
The information was released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which released a photo of the alleged attack carried out on the night of February 21, 2026.
According to the announcement, the planes were damaged in the city of Yevpatoriya, on the premises of a local aircraft repair plant. These planes are usually stationed at Kacha Airport, near Sevastopol, which raises the possibility that the targets were undergoing maintenance or repair at the time of the attack.
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Possible targets: aircraft under maintenance or decommissioned
According to military analysts, there are two main hypotheses about the attack. The first is that the defense forces targeted operational aircraft that were transferred for maintenance. The second possibility refers to planes that were taken out of service or confiscated after the occupation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, and which may have been used as a source of spare parts.
In Vivatoria, for example, there remained a number of Be-12 aircraft belonging to the 10th Marine Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, which could not be transferred to the territory controlled by Kyiv after the annexation of the peninsula.
What is the Be-12
The Be-12 is an amphibious aircraft designed for long-range sea patrols. It is equipped with floats and is able to land on water, a feature that increases its versatility in search and rescue missions.
In the Black Sea, Russia uses these planes mainly to deal with Ukrainian naval drones. The planes carry out maritime patrols and attack surface targets located using aerial bombs.
Since the Be-12 has not been produced since the 1970s, fleet maintenance depends on dismantling decommissioned aircraft for spare parts. Estimates suggest that the Russian Naval Aviation has less than 20 operational aircraft, used for both patrols and search and rescue missions.
Previous attacks had already weakened the fleet
The event takes place months after a similar operation. In September 2025, drones of the elite Ghost unit, linked to the chief intelligence director of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, hit two Be-12 aircraft at the Kache airport.
At the time, since the planes were parked in an open area, the operators managed to cause targeted damage that damaged Russia’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the Black Sea. Satellite images released later confirmed the destruction of an An-26 transport aircraft and damage to two anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
The new attack on Yevpatoriya, if approved, is another blow to an already limited and difficult-to-replace fleet, and increases the pressure on Russia’s maritime patrol capabilities in the region.
Source and photos: Facebook – General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@GeneralStaff.ua) | Wikimedia | Flickr | militarnyi. This content is generated with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
