On Sunday, August 23, 2026, Maj. Robert Brovdi, callsign Madiar, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Syly bezpilotnykh system), reported that units under his command had struck Su-33 and MiG-29 fighter aircraft, an Orion reconnaissance-strike UAV, eight radar systems, a position of an S-400 Triumf air defense missile battalion, as well as two air defense systems: a 9K332 Tor surface-to-air missile system and a Pantsir-S1 gun-missile system. Eleven of the 14 targets were located in Rostov Oblast and Krasnodar Krai, while the remaining three were in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Video: major Robert Browdi aka Madiar via Facebook
Details and locations of the strikes:
- a very rare Su-33 carrier-based fighter aircraft (NATO reporting name: Flanker-D) at Vityazevo Air Base in Krasnodar Krai (although analysts suggest it may instead have been a Su-30SM multirole combat aircraft – editor’s note);
- a MiG-29 frontline fighter (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) at Vityazevo Air Base (Russia loses its first MiG-29 in the war against Ukraine);
- an Orion (Inokhodets) reconnaissance-strike UAV at Vityazevo Air Base (Ukrainians strike base housing Russian Orion UAVs);
- a 9K332 Tor surface-to-air missile system (DIA/NATO reporting name: SA-15 Gauntlet) in Pudovy, Rostov Oblast;
- a 55Zh6U Nebo-U radar complex (NATO reporting name: Tall Rack) in Dolotinka, Rostov Oblast;
- a 55Zh6U Nebo-U radar complex in Sevastopol;
- a Kasta-2E2 radar complex in Latonovo, Rostov Oblast;
- a 48Ya6-K1 Podlet radar complex in Prigibsky, Krasnodar Krai;
- a 36D6M radar complex (NATO reporting name: Tin Shield) belonging to an S-400 battery in Uyutne, Crimea;
- a Kasta-2E2 radar complex in Shabelskoye, Krasnodar Krai;
- a Pantsir-S1 self-propelled gun-missile air defense system in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai;
- an ST-68 radar complex in Yevpatoria, Crimea;
- a 48Ya6-K1 Podlet radar complex in Holovativka, Rostov Oblast.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on social media that a Su-24M frontline bomber (NATO reporting name: Fencer) had been destroyed at Novofedorovka Air Base, formerly Saki-4, in Crimea. Four items of airfield support equipment were also struck. The attack itself, however, took place on August 20.
It was also reported that a launch and storage base for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) had been attacked, along with a ground relay station used to control Shahed/Geran and Gerbera unmanned aerial vehicles.
In addition, Russian logistics depots were struck in Dzhankoi, Crimea, and Chaiki, Belgorod Oblast. Ukrainian forces also attacked maintenance units in the Dzhankoi area and in Kadiivka, Luhansk Oblast.
It has been confirmed that on 20 August, as a result of a strike on Saky airfield (Novofedorivka, temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea), the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed one Su-24M aircraft and four items of enemy airfield-support equipment. pic.twitter.com/AvchQgMXAC
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) August 23, 2026
⚡️ Уражено РЛС, місце запуску та зберігання МБеК, склади і ремонтні підрозділи противника / Enemy radar, USV launch and storage site, depots and repair units struckhttps://t.co/zA25JPqU49 pic.twitter.com/REwLOtjpCb
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) August 23, 2026
It is also worth noting that before the weekend, on Friday, August 21, it was reported that the airfield of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s 929th V. P. Chkalov State Flight Test Center in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Oblast, had been attacked, with a Su-34 frontline bomber (NATO reporting name: Fullback) struck and damaged.
⚡️ Підтверджено ураження аеродрому «Ахтубинск» та літака Су-34 / Strike Confirmed on Akhtubinsk Airfield and Su-34 Aircrafthttps://t.co/Ga7iRaPoJN pic.twitter.com/VW5d5Li5wM
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) August 21, 2026
