Friendly Fire: Russias Air Defense Mistakenly Takes Down Own Fighter Jet During Drone Defense in Crimea

Russia’s air defense systems inadvertently shot down their own Su-30SM fighter jet over the annexed region of Crimea while trying to fend off Ukrainian drone assaults overnight, confirmed Ukraine’s Navy on Friday.

Intercepted communications indicated that both engines of the jet ignited, prompting the crew to eject before the aircraft went down in northwestern Crimea, as reported by Ukraine’s Navy referencing its military intelligence.

«They were so engaged in defending against Ukrainian attacks that they mistakenly shot down their own aircraft,» stated Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk in an interview with Ukrainian television.

Russian officials have yet to address the incident of friendly fire. Pro-war Telegram channels mentioned that the cause of the Su-30SM’s downing remains unclear, but noted that the crew managed to eject safely and were subsequently rescued.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian drones during the night, including 38 over Crimea and the Black Sea.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Governor of Crimea appointed by Moscow, mentioned that Ukrainian drone strikes had damaged multiple electrical substations throughout the peninsula, leading to temporary power outages, but he did not comment on the downing of the Su-30SM.

Ukrainian media, citing pro-Kyiv Telegram channels from Crimea, suggested that the drone assaults might have targeted a facility at the Gvardeyskoye airbase belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces in central Crimea.

Spokesman Pletenchuk also reported that a Russian oil depot was set ablaze during the overnight drone strikes.

The news outlet RBC Ukraine identified the target as the oil depot of the ATAN gas station network located at the Hvardiiske (Gvardeyskoye) base.

According to the outlet, the Russian military stores Iranian-made Shahed drones at this base, which are employed in attacks against Ukraine.