Ukrainian naval drones shoot down Russian jets in military first, Kyiv says

Kyiv says it downed two Russian jet fighters using naval drones equipped with modified US-made missiles, in what military officials say is the first such attack in the history of warfare.

A Russian air force Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet. Picture: AFP.

Ukraine said it downed two Russian jet fighters using sea drones equipped with modified US-made missiles, in what military officials in Kyiv said is the first such attack in the history of warfare.

Magura-7 sea drones deployed by Ukraine’s military-intelligence agency, known as HUR, fired the missiles at two Su-30 jets that were flying near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, HUR said.

Russia’s military hasn’t commented on the attack, which The Wall Street Journal wasn’t able to verify.

The shootdowns demonstrate the threat Ukraine poses to Russia, with a military-industrial complex that is innovating in order to hold its own against Moscow’s much-larger military.

With Russia grinding slowly forward on the battlefield and Ukraine struggling with a deficit of arms and manpower, the smaller country has found ever more enterprising means of weakening its enemy.

The attacks seek to challenge Moscow’s narrative that its victory in Ukraine is inevitable, and that the US and other Ukrainian allies should push Kyiv to capitulate.

In a video address on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “brilliant” and “a testament to Ukraine’s capabilities.” Kyiv said it is the first instance of a combat aircraft downed by a marine drone.

A video released by the Ukrainian military seems to show one of its sea drones striking a Russian jet fighter. Picture: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

A video HUR posted on Saturday showed what appeared through the lens of a shaky camera to be a distant object bursting into flames above the sea. The camera then pivots to show the object plummeting into the choppy waters.

HUR chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told the news site the War Zone that the crew of one Russian plane was rescued from the frigid waters by a commercial vessel, while those on board the second plane didn’t survive.

Ukraine said the missile used to hit the Russian jets on Friday was an American-made infra-red-guided AIM-9, which the US and Canada have provided to Ukraine. Kyiv earlier said it downed two Russian helicopters on Dec. 31 using missiles fired from sea drones.

The attack comes amid a slowdown in US-brokered efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year.

The Trump administration has urged both sides to come to the negotiating table. Zelensky on Friday dismissed a four-day truce proposed by Russia for this week as “a theatrical performance,” insisting that Moscow agree instead to a 30-day ceasefire Ukraine has agreed to with US support.

The Kremlin said Saturday that Russia’s offer of a brief ceasefire is a test of Ukraine’s willingness to work toward peace.

In his video address, Zelensky said that Russia fired 950 aerial bombs against Ukraine last week, with cities targeted by missiles including Shahed explosive drones that Russia launches into Ukrainian airspace every night.

“Currently, the intensity of Russian strikes indicates nothing but Russia’s desire to continue fighting,” he said.

The Black Sea has emerged as a crucial arena of Ukraine’s unorthodox warfare. Ukraine has used small, explosive naval drones to destroy or damage more than a dozen Russian ships there, forcing Russia to withdraw much of its Black Sea fleet from its home port in Crimea. Sea drones have also caused damage to a bridge from Russia to occupied Crimea that Russia used to supply its forces in Ukraine.

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