A Ukrainian sea drone downed a $50-million Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea in what has been described as a world first, according to military intelligence in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the GUR, published video of what it said was an unprecedented operation near the Russian port of Novorossiysk using a Magura sea drone that was equipped with a missile warhead.
Ukraine’s claims have not been independently verified and Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Why it matters
Since the start of Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has developed its drones which have been used to make headline-grabbing strikes in the Black Sea pushing Russia’s Navy back from its main site in Crimea.
As a sign of these developing capabilities, Ukraine used the Magura V5 drone to down two Russian Mi-8 helicopters on December 31, 2024 in what was then considered a world-first drone strike on airborne targets from the sea. A drone strike on a Russian fighter jet demonstrates a new threat for Moscow.
On May 2, 🇺🇦 GUR’s Group 13 made history — for the first time ever, a fighter jet was destroyed by a naval drone. A Russian Su-30 hit by a Magura V5 exploded mid-air near Novorossiysk and sank to the depths. $50M down to Neptune. pic.twitter.com/Tqv4nzbFhk
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) May 3, 2025
What to know
The GUR posted video on Telegram next to its description of what it described as the world’s first destruction of a combat aircraft by a sea drone.
The post said that on Friday, the GUR unit Group 13, in cooperation with Ukraine’s SBU military intelligence and Ukrainian defense forces, eliminated a Russian Su-30 in the Black Sea using a Magura sea drone equipped with a missile warhead.
The Su-30 aircraft, with an estimated price tag of $50 million, was struck near the port in the city of Novorossiysk, where Russia has moved much of its Black Sea Fleet, the statement said.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency / Telegram)
News outlets reported that it used an R-73 air-to-air missile and the GUR said the aircraft “burst into flames in the air and fell into the sea.”
It referred to the destruction by a Ukrainian sea drone on New Year’s Eve 2024 of two Russian Mi-8 helicopters.
Social media users reported the strike was significant. Pro-Ukrainian X channel NOEL called it “historic and humiliating for Russia.” Ukraine’s defense ministry said that war at sea is entering a new era.”
Overnight Friday, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack on Krasnodar region injured at least five people, damaged buildings and a grain terminal in Novorossiysk, leading to a state of emergency being declared in the city.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that more than 170 Ukrainian drones and several naval drones had been intercepted across Crimea and the Black Sea.
What people are saying
Ukraine’s GUR: “For the first time in the world, GUR soldiers destroyed an enemy combat aircraft with a strike from a Magura sea drone.”
Ukraine’s defense ministry: “For the first time in history, a warplane was destroyed by a sea drone … War at sea is entering a new era.”
What happens next
Ukraine’s reported successful strike on a Russian fighter jet potentially adds a new dimension to its drone capabilities and after Vladimir Putin rejected a ceasefire, points to the Black Sea as being a continued focus for Kyiv’s fight.
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