Ukraine SBU Drones Strike Su-30 Fighter Hangars at Crimea's Saky Airbase

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) conducted a major drone strike on the Saky military airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea on July 1, 2026, hitting hangars housing Russian Su-30 and Su-30SM fighter jets. The operation, part of a 40-day influence campaign personally directed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, involved five confirmed drone hits on aircraft storage infrastructure at the base.

Su-30 Fighters in the Crosshairs

According to the SBU, preliminary assessments indicate that Su-30 and Su-30SM fighters were present inside two of the targeted hangars at the time of the strike. A fire was recorded in one hangar containing a Su-30SM after the attack. Each Su-30SM aircraft carries an estimated value of $30–50 million depending on configuration, making any confirmed destruction a significant material loss for the Russian air force.

Strategic Significance of Saky

Saky airbase, situated on the western coast of Crimea roughly 60 kilometres southwest of Simferopol, is one of Russia's most operationally significant air hubs in the Black Sea theater. It has been a recurring target throughout the war due to its role in staging strike aircraft used against Ukrainian territory. Ukraine previously struck the base in a landmark 2022 attack that destroyed several Russian aircraft on the ground.

Overnight Air Defence Success

Earlier that night, Ukrainian air defences intercepted a Kh-59 guided missile and 130 drones launched by Russian forces in an overnight attack beginning June 30. Two civilians were killed and nine injured in a Russian drone strike targeting a passenger minibus in Kherson, with three more injured in an airstrike on residential buildings in Kramatorsk. Track the latest from the front lines in our World section.