Ukraine knocks out one of Putin's newest £51million Su-57 warplanes in drone blitz on Russian airfield

Ukrainian forces knocked out one of Vladimir Putin's newest warplanes when a kamikaze drone exploded a Su-57 multi-purpose fighter plane, it has emerged.

The £51million aircraft was on the ground in Akhtubinsk military airfield in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia.

The drone - one of three - flew some 365 miles from the frontline, evading Russian air defences.

Kyiv's main military intelligence service on Sunday shared satellite photos it said show the aftermath of the attack, though the regional authorities had denied any of the drones had hit the airbase.

It is the first time a new fifth generation Su-57 fighter plane has been hit, and a first Ukraine hit on this airfield. The attack comes after Ukraine's Western allies allowed Kyiv to use their weapons for limited strikes inside Russia. 

According to Kyiv's military intelligence service, the strike took place on Saturday at the Akhtubinsk base in southern Russia, some 366 miles from the front line.

It was not immediately clear what weapons were used, but the airfield's distance from Ukraine suggests it was likely hit by drones.

Satellite images appear to confirm the damage caused by the strike. In one photo, black soot marks and small craters can be seen dotting a concrete strip around the parked aircraft.

Kyiv's military said the images show that 'on June 7 the Su-57 is standing intact, and on June 8, ruptures from the explosion and characteristic spots of fire, which arose as a result of fire damage, appeared near it'.

'Su-57 damage is the first such case in history.'

Aleksandr Sivakov, the deputy head of the Akhtubinsk City Administration, had earlier said Russian air defences 'managed not only to prevent, but also to repulse the enemy's attack'.

But Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber confirmed the strike on Akhtubinsk military airfield.

'The Su-57 was damaged by shrapnel,' said the channel.

'It is now being determined whether it can be restored or not.'

The channel accused the Russian authorities of failing to spend money to protect its main strike aircraft from Ukrainian drones.

'For the price of this Su-57 alone, shelters from UAVs could be built for all PTA aircraft in the country.'

The Su-57 has been used against Ukraine to strike Kh-59 and Kh-69 missiles.

Russia has previously boasted the warplane is 'the best combat fighter in the world'. 

The Ukrainian agency said the plane, which is capable of carrying stealth missiles across hundreds of miles, was among 'a countable few' of its type in Moscow's arsenal. 

According to reports by Russian agencies, Moscow's armed forces obtained 'more than 10' new Su-57s last year, while 76 are set to be produced by 2028.

Moscow has not immediately commented on the reports. 

Ukraine also staged its first ever attack on Mozdok military airfield in North Ossetia, a distance of some 560 miles from the frontline.

Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday claimed its forces downed three Ukrainian drones in the Astrakhan region, home to the Akhtubinsk airstrip. 

Ukraine reported it was still clarifying what damage had been caused.

The strike comes after the United States and Germany recently authorised Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kyiv.

Ukraine has already used US weapons to strike inside Russia under newly approved guidance from President Joe Biden that allows American arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

Since Moscow's full-scale invasion more than two years ago, Kyiv has ramped up domestic drone production and used the drones to strike deep inside Russia, including a gas terminal near St Petersburg that lies more than 620 miles north of the Ukrainian border.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces kept up drone attacks on Russia's southern border regions, according to local Russian officials.

Three drones hit Belgorod province late on Saturday, damaging a power line and blowing out windows but causing no casualties. The Russian Defence Ministry said another drone was shot down over the nearby Bryansk region.

Across Ukraine's frontline provinces, Russian shelling killed at least three civilians and wounded at least nine others on Saturday and overnight, according to reports by regional officials.

A man died and two women suffered wounds in the village of Khotimla in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region, where shelling damaged the local school, a council building and a shop.

Heavy battles continue in the area as Ukrainian troops try to beat back Russia's invading forces after a week-long push by Moscow that sparked fears for Kharkiv and a wave of civilian evacuations.