The Ukrainian Defense Forces struck two Be-12 anti-submarine aircraft in temporarily occupied Crimea using combat drones.
The information was provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which published a photo of the alleged attack carried out on the night of February 21, 2026.
According to the statement, the machines were hit in the city of Eupatoria, on the premises of a local aircraft repair plant. Traditionally, these planes are based at Kacha Airport near Sevastopol, which suggests they may have been undergoing maintenance or repairs at the time of the attack.
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Possible targets: aircraft under repair or decommissioned
According to military analysts, there are two main hypotheses regarding the attack. The first assumes that the Defense Forces targeted operationally efficient machines intended for maintenance. The second possibility concerns planes withdrawn from service or seized after the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, which could have been used as a source of spare parts.
For example, several Be-12s belonging to the 10th Naval Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy remain in Eupatoria, which could not be transferred to the territory controlled by Kiev after the annexation of the peninsula.
What is Be-12
The Be-12 is an amphibious aircraft designed for long-range maritime patrolling. Equipped with floats, it can land on water, which increases its versatility in search and rescue missions.
In the Black Sea, Russia uses these machines mainly to counter Ukrainian naval drones. The planes conduct maritime patrols and attack detected surface targets using aerial bombs.
Since the Be-12 has been out of production since the 1970s, maintaining the fleet depends on cannibalizing retired examples. Estimates indicate that Russian naval aviation has fewer than 20 operational machines, used for both patrols and search and rescue missions.
Previous attacks had already weakened the fleet
The incident comes several months after a similar operation. In September 2025, drones of the Ghost special unit, affiliated with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, struck two Be-12s at the Kacha airfield.
Because the aircraft were stationed outdoors at the time, the operators managed to cause selective damage, impacting Russia’s anti-submarine capabilities in the Black Sea. Satellite photos published later confirmed the destruction of one An-26 transport aircraft and damage to two anti-submarine machines.
The new attack in Eupatoria, if confirmed, would represent a further blow to an already limited and difficult to replenish fleet, increasing pressure on Russia’s patrol capabilities in the region.
Source and photos: Facebook – General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@GeneralStaff.ua) | Wikimedia | Flickr | militarnyi. The content was prepared using AI and verified by the editorial staff.
