AI Image
Su-57 destroyed in engine fire at Akhtubinsk airfield in Russia, HUR confirms
The Kyiv Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported that a Russian Su-57 fighter jet was damaged by an engine fire at Akhtubinsk airfield on October 29, possibly due to poor jet fuel quality linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries.
- HUR indicated that Ukrainian attacks have disrupted Russia's domestic jet fuel production, increasing Russia's reliance on aviation fuel imports since August.
- The Su-57, Russia's most advanced and costly fighter jet, is designed to compete with Western stealth fighters like the U.S. F-35 and F-22 but has seen limited deployment in the Ukraine conflict.
- Russia's small fleet of Su-57 jets has faced multiple setbacks in 2026, including a Ukrainian drone strike in April that damaged two aircraft of this type.
