Putin Humiliated as He Suffers $200 Million Blow

Gavriil Grigorov / via REUTERS Vladimir Putin’s faltering armed forces have been dealt a heavy blow.

The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement on Thursday that it had damaged or destroyed six Su-34M bombers in the Voronezh Oblast in western Russia.

It comes as Ukraine continues its blitz deep inside Russian territory.

Attacks on vital logistical targets such as oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses have grabbed the most headlines, but Kyiv has also shifted pressure back onto Moscow by hitting several air bases.

“On the night of October 15, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation with the Neptune missile system,” the Ukrainian Navy said in a statement.

“As a result of the strike, six Su-34M bombers were hit.

Technical equipment for providing flights of aviation was also hit, repeated detonations and a fire on the territory of the airfield were recorded,” it added, before noting that it was still seeking clarification on the extent of the damage.

“Su-34M are capable of carrying several guided and explosive aviation bombs at the same time, missiles of various types, and are one of the key means of Russian aviation for striking guided aviation bombs at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and frontline settlements.” Known as a “Fullback” by NATO and a “Platypus” by the Russian military, they are most comparable to an F-15 Strike Eagle.

Open-source military intelligence platform GlobalMilitary.net estimates that each Su-34M is worth about $36 million on average.

That means Ukraine’s Thursday morning strike set the Kremlin back roughly $216 million.

“Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck an airfield in the Voronezh region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X on Thursday, confirming the strike.

“Four Su-34 aircraft were destroyed and two more Su-34s were hit.

The Russians used them to terrorize our people.

These very warplanes were ready to launch new attacks on Ukraine and were loaded with aerial bombs.