Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said its drones struck hangars holding Russian fighter jets at the Saki military airbase in occupied Crimea overnight on July 1, 2026, reporting five hits and a fire in a hangar it said contained a Sukhoi Su-30SM.
In its statement, the SBU said the operation targeted airfield infrastructure, specifically hangars used to store combat aircraft. According to preliminary information cited by the service, Su-30 and Su-30SM fighters were inside two of the targeted hangars when the attack took place. The agency said a fire broke out in the hangar where a Su-30SM was located, which it presented as an indication that the target had been hit. It valued each aircraft at between $30 million and $50 million, depending on configuration.
The Su-30SM is a twin-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter built by Russia’s Irkut Corporation for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Naval Aviation. Aircraft based in Crimea have been used to launch strikes and fly patrol missions against Ukraine from across the Black Sea.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Russian authorities had not publicly commented on the reported strike at the time of writing. Ukrainian damage assessments released immediately after operations in occupied territory are often difficult to confirm.
NASA FIRMS data reviewed by AeroTime showed a thermal anomaly in the vicinity of Saki airbase after the reported strike, but not directly on the aircraft parking area or hangars.
The SBU said the strike formed part of a 40-day campaign of long-range operations that President Volodymyr Zelensky approved to increase pressure on Moscow and push it toward ending the war. In parallel, Ukraine has reported strikes on Russian oil and defense-industrial targets, including a refinery in Ufa and a facility in the Penza region linked to missile component production.
A recurring target
Saki, also known as the Novofedorivka airbase, is one of Russia’s main military aviation sites on the peninsula and has been struck repeatedly since 2022.
The focus on hangars is notable. Unlike many frontline air arms, Russia has historically parked aircraft in the open or in unprotected hangars rather than hardened shelters, relying instead on dispersal across its large territory. After Ukraine’s mass drone raid on Russian strategic bomber bases in June 2025, Russian forces began building concrete shelters at some airfields.
The SBU said it continues to target Russian military assets both at the front and in the rear.