Ukrainian drones destroy 2 Tu-142 aircraft, Iskander system at Russian airfield in Taganrog

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed 2 Tu-142 long-range aircraft and an Iskander operational-tactical missile system at a military airfield in Taganrog, in Russia's Rostov Oblast, during the night of 29-30 May, the force's commander said.

Major Robert "Madyar" Brovdi announced the results on social media on 30 May and published footage he said showed the strikes. He attributed the operation to long-range drones operated by the 1st Separate Unmanned Systems Center, carried out under the coordination of the force's newly created Center of Deep Strike. Brovdi added that the damage was not limited to the listed targets and that "things also heated up near the water," promising further video. The Iskander launcher was struck at a launch site near the city, he said. Russia has not commented on the claim, which has not been independently verified.

Aircraft Russia can no longer replace

The Tu-142 is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft based on the Tu-95 turboprop strategic bomber. Russia's Naval Aviation uses the fleet to track submarines and monitor naval activity across the Black Sea and adjacent waters. The aircraft carry no near-term replacement: Russia has no current production line for the Tu-142, so each loss represents a capability that cannot be quickly restored. Roughly 100 of the aircraft were built, the vast majority at the Taganrog plant, with production ending in 1994, and the Military Balance counted 22 Tu-142s in Russian naval aviation at the start of 2023.

Part of a wider overnight assault

The airfield strike came alongside a broader wave of attacks across southern Russia the same night. Drones hit port infrastructure in Taganrog, setting a tanker and a fuel storage tank ablaze, while an oil depot in Krasnodar Krai was also struck. Local channels in Taganrog reported the city was under attack from around 1 am, with a drone threat persisting until at least 5 am.

A recurring deep-strike target

Taganrog has drawn repeated Ukrainian deep-strike operations through Russia's war on Ukraine. The city hosts the Beriev TANTK plant, which maintains and modifies several of Russia's most valuable aviation assets, including the A-50 early-warning aircraft. In November 2025, a Ukrainian strike on the Beriev plant destroyed Russia's sole remaining A-60 laser aircraft, and the 325th Aviation Repair Plant in the city was hit on 27 May 2026.