Ukrainian drones struck "several" Su-57 stealth fighters and a Su-34 fighter-bomber at the Shagol airbase in Russia's Chelyabinsk Oblast last week — near the Ural Mountains — Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on 1 May. The operation was carried out by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, with satellite imagery from Telegram channel Exilenova+ later confirming the damage and the post-strike relocation of the aircraft.
What the General Staff said
The General Staff reported that the Su-57 fighter jets and a Su-34 fighter-bomber were damaged at Shagol on 25 April. The targets were located approximately 1,700 km from Ukraine's state border, the statement said. The extent of the damage is being clarified.
The strike was framed as part of Ukraine's effort to reduce Russia's capacity to launch strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
What the satellite imagery shows
Analysts from Exilenova+ released a satellite comparison of the Shagol airbase between 17 and 26 April. The imagery shows the strike site on the apron, with one frame capturing Russian crews clearing the aftermath. Two Su-57s and a Su-34 had been relocated from their original parking positions after the hit, a movement pattern consistent with damage assessment and recovery work.
A close-up satellite image shared by the channel shows two Su-57s and one Su-34 at the airbase, captured in the days leading up to the strike.
Why the Su-57 hit matters
Russia has fewer than 30 Su-57s in service, the type having entered service only in December 2020. The aircraft is built at the KnAAZ plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and supply-chain pressure points around its production have already drawn Ukrainian fire — Flamingo cruise missiles hit the Skif-M factory in Belgorod, a tooling supplier for Sukhoi airframes, in September 2025.
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Ukraine first damaged Su-57s in June 2024 at the Akhtubinsk airfield in Astrakhan Oblast, about 600 km from the front lines. Two of the type were damaged in that attack, Ukrainian intelligence said at the time. Russia later kept the type away from active operations over Ukraine, a Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot told Donbas.Realii in January 2026, scrapping plans to use combat appearances over Ukraine as an export-promotion campaign for foreign buyers.
Update
Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, reported that the strike damaged four aircraft:
- two Su-57s
- one Su-34
- one Sukhoi Su of unidentified modification
He says at least three drone hits scored, citing Russian unit-cost estimates of $100-120 million per Su-57 and $35-50 million per Su-34.
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