Ukraine battlefield update

Ukraine has run out of Patriot missiles while parts of Kyiv face new air raids causing power outages.

Neptune missile strike

Ukraine's Neptune missile destroyed four Su-34 strike aircraft at Borisoglebsk airfield in Voronezh region.

Borisoglebsk airfield

The airfield lies 340 km from front line and was built for large aircraft like Tu-160 and An-124.

Ukrainian advantage

Ukraine lacks fighter jets to shoot down enemy aircraft while Patriot system has no missiles for Su-34s.

Strategic impact

The destruction of four Su-34s and damage to two more is a major success for Ukraine.

Neptune missile details

Neptune missile was designed for ships but now strikes ground targets after upgrades since 2022.

Ukrainian intelligence

Ukrainian forces detected and struck the airfield within a short window due to Russian carelessness.

Russian criticism

Russian Z-bloggers criticized lack of hardened shelters at Borisoglebsk airfield despite promises.

Production impact

Russia lost 18-24 Su-34s in one day, a quarter to a third of annual production.

Total losses

Oryx website counts 50 Su-34s lost to date, with Russia producing no more than 200.

Fighterbomber analysis

Russian Z-channel Fighterbomber claims fighter jets work 24/7 with high usage rates.

“No, not hundreds, not one thousand, but thousands. Divide that by the number of days in a year and you will see how much each individual fighter jet works on average per day.”

Resource impact

Loss of six Su-34s means at least 36 fewer precision-guided bombs per day for Russian forces.

Kyiv power crisis

Kyiv and surrounding regions face power outages after Russian air raids.

Starshield slowdown

White House ordered slowdown of Starshield military component for Starlink.

Kharkiv capture

Ukrainian soldiers captured a Russian soldier in center of captured Kharkiv region.

Bulgarian drone attack

Drones sank Bulgarian vessel Chelsea-3 off coast with 10 crew members missing.