Russian Air Force Su-34 Damaged

A Sukhoi Su-34 was substantially damaged in a Ukrainian long-range drone raid on Akhtubinsk Air Base in Astrakhan Oblast in the early hours of 20 August 2026, with impacts reported between roughly 00:30 and 01:00 local time. The Aviation Safety Network records the aircraft as damaged while standing, with no casualties. Commercial satellite imagery circulated by open-source analysts shows at least two impact points on the airfield and a fuel spill beside a parked airframe, followed by fire. The base hosts the 929th State Flight Test Centre, Russia's principal aircraft and weapons trials establishment, and sits about 650 km from the front line — comparable in depth to the April strike on Shagol. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the strike; Russia has not commented.