The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has announced that a Russian MiG-29 fighter jet and an Irtysh early-warning radar system in Russian-occupied Crimea were struck and destroyed by long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
In a statement shared on Telegram, the agency said the operation was carried out on the night of 4 December by Prymary (“Ghosts”), HUR’s special operations unit.
MiG-29 hit at Kacha airbase
According to the statement, the Soviet-built MiG-29 was targeted and destroyed at the Kacha airbase, located just outside the Russian-occupied port city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Another UAV used that same night struck the Irtysh radar system near Simferopol.
HUR said, “We continue to systematically neutralise Russian air-defence infrastructure over Crimea. Radars, anti-aircraft systems and now Russian fighter jets are being destroyed one by one.”
Operation footage released
Videos shared alongside the agency’s statement show long-range UAVs striking the fighter jet and the radar system. The type of unmanned aerial vehicle used in the operation was not disclosed.
The Kyiv Independent stated that it could not independently verify the outcome of the attack or the extent of the damage caused.
Russian military assets in Crimea continue to be targeted
Russia has used Crimea—which it illegally annexed in 2014 in violation of international law—as a key base for missile attacks, UAV operations, naval forces in the Black Sea and ground troops in southern Ukraine.
Since 2023, Ukraine has increased its capacity to strike Russian military targets in Crimea and has targeted a series of critical systems using UAVs launched from both sea and air.
In this context, Ukraine previously announced that:
- In August 2024, the 91N6E radar, a component of Russia’s advanced S-400 air-defence system, was struck,
- And in September 2024, two Beriev Be-12 maritime patrol aircraft were destroyed for the first time.
