Neptune strike destroys more Su-34s than Russia builds in a year

A Ukrainian Neptune missile strike on the Russian airfield in Borisoglebsk on the night of October 15 likely destroyed more Su-34 fighter-bombers than Russia produced in all of 2026, according to Defense Express. The Ukrainian Navy reported six Su-34 aircraft were hit. The Su-34s are used by Russia to deploy guided bombs with UMPK kits, posing a threat to Ukrainian positions. Defense Express notes that Russia typically delivers such jets in small batches of two to three, and in 2026, the occupying army may have received only four or five new aircraft, making the single strike's losses exceed the year's known supply. Combined with three previously destroyed or damaged Su-34s this year, Russia has now lost at least nine of the aircraft in 2026. These losses are gradually weakening Russia's ability to conduct guided bomb strikes on Ukrainian frontline areas.