As both sides in the war in Ukraine continue their campaigns of long-range drone strikes, the Ukrainian government’s internal security agency has launched a compilation of strikes targeting Russian air bases. The video, released by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), records drone strikes against Russian military aircraft by its special unit, the “Alpha Group”, also known as the “A” Special Operations Center.
“The enemy is used to feeling safe in the deep rear. But for the “Alpha” special forces, distance has long ceased to matter,” the SBU wrote in a post accompanying the video on social networks.
The footage shows several Russian planes being targeted, from the perspective of the attacking drones. It appears that most, if not all, of these warnings have been previously claimed, and some have previously been seen in the form of video footage. But the end result is certainly impressive, assuming all the targeted aircraft were damaged or destroyed – which is far from clear from these videos.
An-26 attacked, apparently at Kirovskoye Air Base. It appears to have been damaged beyond repair. SBU screenshot
A Russian Navy Su-30SM under attack, apparently at Saky Air Base. SBU screenshot
The SBU claims the total value of the damage was more than $1 billion, although it is far from clear how this was calculated, especially since some of the aircraft in question are decades old and no longer in production. It is also worth noting that the SBU figure includes damage to ammunition and fuel depots at the airfields in question.
Regardless, the 15 supported aircraft targeted by the SBU appear to include:
From what can be seen, the An-26 appears to have been damaged beyond repair, while an Su-24 appears to have had at least its tail section damaged; available satellite imagery may show a destroyed Su-24, but the quality of the imagery means it cannot be determined with certainty.
A MiG-31, armed with R-73 missiles, apparently attacked at Belbek Air Base. SBU screenshot
These aircraft were targeted at five different airfields, the SBU said, without disclosing their exact locations.
However, based on open-source analysis, it appears the bases targeted included Belbek, Kirovskoye, Saky and Simferopol, all in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Su-24 attacked, apparently also at Saky Air Base. SBU screenshot
The growing threat of such attacks on air bases has prompted Russia to build new shelters for hardened aircraft and to engage in additional construction to help protect aircraft from drone strikes and other indirect fire. This is part of a larger push by the Russian military to improve physical defenses at several airfields after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The airfield raids highlighted in the video are part of a wider Ukrainian drone campaign conducted last year, in which the SBU also targeted Russian air defense systems, radar installations and critical energy infrastructure.
As for air defense systems, the SBU claims to have destroyed about $4 billion worth of Russian equipment last year. These included S-300, S-350 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as advanced radar systems such as Nebo-M, Podlet and Protivnik-GE.
In 2025, Ukraine also conducted the spectacular Operation Spiderweb, a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike against air bases across Russia, in June. This targeted Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet and saw 117 drones launched against at least four airfields.
It’s also worth noting that the specific Ukrainian campaign against Russian airfields is something that was brought up by US President Donald Trump in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, last summer. The timing of that call suggests that Operation Spider Web prompted this discussion.
A lot of people are reposting this Trump Truth Social post as if it’s recent (in part because Ukraine just released another video of it hitting parked Russian planes), but it’s actually from last summer. pic.twitter.com/8jodT8bm7H
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) January 29, 2026
Ukraine’s ability to strike high-value Russian targets at considerable range has been bolstered by the addition of long-range cruise missiles, as well as a growing inventory of attack drones, both large and small.
Meanwhile, the SBU continues its long-range drone strikes.
Overnight on January 13, the security agency teamed up with the Ukrainian Navy to attack a drone production facility in Taganrog, where several production halls appear to have been destroyed, based on satellite analysis.
Ukrainian defenders destroyed several warehouses of the Atlant Aero factory in Taganrog, Russia. Combat drones and their parts were produced there.
Glory! pic.twitter.com/P6RcfpXtbl
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) January 16, 2026
The facility in question, the Atlant Aero factory, is responsible, among other things, for the production of the Russian Molniya ammunition widely used in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces this evening struck a Russian drone factory in the city of Taganrog, setting it on fire.
Multiple explosions have been reported at drone company Atlant, maker of the Molniya series of attack drones. pic.twitter.com/yr3SA3b7gV
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 13, 2026
Drones being used to strike enemy installations producing drones is very indicative of the way the war has gone when it comes to the increasing use and diversity of unmanned systems on all fronts.
Russia, in turn, used a BM-35 munition to attack what some observers said was a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet at Kanatove Air Base in Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region on January 26.
This is not the first time that a Russian drone strike has claimed a model of the Ukrainian aircraft, but it again demonstrates the potential vulnerability of airfields to this type of attack.
Notably, the BM-35 drone used in the attack is also reported to use satellite connectivity via Starlink, allowing operators to control it in real-time over long distances.
The SBU’s latest “greatest hits” compilation highlights how drone strikes on Russian military aircraft are one of its highest priorities, and one we’re sure to see targeted again in the coming months.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com