On Friday, May 1, 2026, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on social media that several Russian Su-57 multirole aircraft (NATO reporting name Felon), and a Su-34 bomber (NATO reporting name Fullback), had been hit in a drone attack on Shagol Air Base in Chelyabinsk.
Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
“The Su-57 and Su-34 aircraft were hit. The results of measures aimed at reducing the enemy’s ability to attack civilian facilities on the territory of Ukraine have been confirmed. Thus, on April 25, 2026, at Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk Oblast of the Russian Federation, servicemen of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit several Su-57 fighters and a Su-34 fighter-bomber. The extent of the damage is being determined. The targets were located approximately 1,700 km from Ukraine’s state border! More information will follow! Glory to Ukraine!”
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Shagol Air Base is located northwest of Chelyabinsk, next to the village within the city limits of Shagol and the railway station of the same name. Initially, it mainly hosted Il-76MD and Tu-134 transport aircraft; in the past, An-22 Antei aircraft were also stationed there, followed later by Su-24M bombers and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, which from 2018 were partly replaced by Su-34s. Helicopters were also based there. The site is also home to the Red Banner Chelyabinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators, which operates Tu-134Sh, Tu-134UBL, and An-26Sh training aircraft as part of the 221st Training Air Base. In December 2015, it was renamed the 6980th Air Base of the 2nd Mixed Aviation Regiment, military unit 86789. After the outbreak of the full-scale war, on the night of January 3, 2024, an attempt was made to set fire to a Su-34, but there was no credible confirmation that the aircraft had been destroyed.
So far, Russia has received around 30–35 Su-57 aircraft, including prototypes, out of 76 ordered in 2019 for 160–170 billion RUB, with deliveries scheduled until 2028. On June 9, 2024, two aircraft may have been damaged in a Ukrainian attack on the airfield of the test center in Akhtubinsk; one aircraft crashed on December 24, 2019. The latest delivery took place on February 9 this year, in a modified version. However, production may have been halted or at least delayed due to a fire at the Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant, KnAAPO, which occurred on April 11. Nine days later, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, HUR MO, published on the War & Sanctions information service a 3D model and a list of 103 entities involved in the production of these aircraft.
As for the Su-34 tactical bombers, the latest delivery of the newest production version, the modernized Su-34M/NVO, took place on December 10, 2025. Last year, the Russians lost as many as seven aircraft in combat operations and an accident, two of which were damaged, while total losses since the outbreak of the full-scale war may have reached 51 aircraft, or 61 including accidents and damaged examples.
UPDATE
According to updated information, two Su-57s, one Su-34, and one unidentified Sukhoi aircraft – according to some sources, a Su-24M/MR – were reportedly hit. There are reports that one Su-57 was probably destroyed, while the second Su-57 and one Su-34 may have been damaged or destroyed.
⚡️ 25.04.2026 на аеродромі Шагол у Челябінській області рф воїнами Сил безпілотних систем ЗСУ було уражено декілька винищувачів Су-57 та винищувач-бомбардувальник Су-34.
🧐Ступінь пошкоджень уточнюється.
Цілі знаходились на відстані близько 1700 км від держкордону України! pic.twitter.com/bSAIvaWlds
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) May 1, 2026
❗️This is big. Visual confirmation shows Ukrainian strikes hit Su-57 aircraft and a Su-34 at Shagol airbase in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, around 1,700 km from Ukraine’s state border. The attack reached one of the deepest confirmed aviation targets inside Russia. #Ukraine https://t.co/nVdEgpPF0W pic.twitter.com/LlV20CL6Fh
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) May 1, 2026
⚡️The AFU commander releases footage of an attack on fighter jets at the russian "shagol" airfield💥
Four russian aircraft were hit at once—two Su-57 fighters, one Su-34 fighter-bomber, and one aircraft of an unknown model.
The cost of a single Su-34 is $35–50 million, and a… pic.twitter.com/bukRiUZ1Sm
— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) May 1, 2026
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