A Su-34 fighter-bomber was set on fire in Russia

4 January, 2024 A Russian Su-34 tactical bomber burns at the airfield in Chelyabinsk, January 4, 2024. Photo credits: DIU The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine has released footage of a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber being set on fire at a military airfield in Chelyabinsk.

The press service of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported on this. On the night of January 4, saboteurs set fire to a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber at the Chelyabinsk Shagol Airport. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the fighter-bomber belonged to the aviation regiment of the 21st Mixed Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The video captures an unidentified person lighting a fire inside one of the air intakes of the fighter-bomber. Toward the end of the video, the flames inside the aircraft started to grow more and more intense.

The right air intake of the Su-34 fighter-bomber

The video footage makes it difficult to assess the potential damage to the aircraft, but the high temperature could have deformed the fuselage.

Sabotage at airfields

This is not the first sabotage operation at Russian military and mixed airfields.

For example, back in September, saboteurs blew up planes and a combat helicopter in the Moscow region. Unidentified persons planted explosives at the airfield and blew up An-148 and Il-20 aircraft (both belonging to the 354th Special Forces Aviation Regiment), and a Mi-28N helicopter, which had previously been actively involved in shooting down loitering munitions over the Moscow region. Similarly, in November 2022, a sabotage was committed at the Veretye military airfield in the Pskov region.

Unidentified persons entered the military airfield and blew up two Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters. The explosion severely damaged two other aircraft.

Russian Ka-52 at the airfield. Frame from the video

The damaged Ka-52s belonged to the 2nd squadron of the 17th Army Aviation Brigade of the Western Military District of the Russian Federation.

The Russians have not reported the causes of the explosions.