A Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter jet has likely crashed in the Black Sea southeast of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island (Odesa Oblast), according to the Ukrainian Navy.

Naval intelligence intercepted radio communications indicating the loss of contact with the aircraft during a mission. The cause of the incident remains unknown.

Russian forces have launched a search-and-rescue operation; debris has been spotted on the sea surface, but the pilot has not been found.

Why this loss matters for Russia’s air force

The Su-30SM is one of the Russian military’s most capable 4th-generation fighters, used for air superiority, long-range patrols, escort missions, radar surveillance, and command-and-control.

FlightGlobal’s 2025 world air forces directory lists 365 Su-27/30/35 fighters in Russian service (exact Su-30SM numbers are not public). Each Su-30SM is estimated to cost between $35 million and $50 million, making every loss a major hit to Russia’s high-value combat fleet.

The aircraft has been used extensively in the war against Ukraine, including for the launch of Kh-31P and Kh-58 anti-radiation missiles aimed at suppressing Ukrainian air defenses.

Documented Su-30SM losses since 2022

Ukraine has reported multiple Su-30SM shootdowns and ground destructions since the full-scale invasion began:

• Feb–Mar 2022: Several Su-30SMs downed over the Black Sea, Odesa, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions — some crashed into the sea, and in one case a pilot was captured.
• Aug 9, 2022 — Saky/Novofedorivka, Crimea: Satellite imagery confirmed 8–9 aircraft destroyed, including around three Su-30SMs.
• Sept 2024 — Black Sea: Ukraine reported downing a Su-30SM that had just fired a Kh-31P missile.
• Apr 24, 2025 — Rostov-on-Don: Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) released video showing a Su-30SM (tail “35”) burning after a sabotage attack.
• Aug 4, 2025 — Saky airbase, Crimea: The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said one Su-30SM was destroyed and another damaged, alongside strikes on Su-24s and an ammunition depot.
• May 2, 2025 — Novorossiysk (claim): Ukraine claims naval drones armed with air-to-air missiles downed two Su-30s over the Black Sea — independent verification is pending.
• Aug 14, 2025 — Zmiinyi (Snake) Island area: The latest suspected Su-30SM loss.

Strategic шmplications

The possible downing of another Su-30SM underscores Ukraine’s ability to inflict attrition on Russia’s front-line combat aviation. With high unit costs and a shrinking pool of trained aircrews, each loss erodes Russia’s air combat capability — particularly in contested zones like the Black Sea.

A Russian Feniks (“Phoenix”) reconnaissance drone washed ashore in Bulgaria and was destroyed by the Bulgarian Navy. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense said the unmanned aircraft was found on a beach in Sozopol on 12 August, after vacationers noticed it in the sand. The drone, similar in design to the Russian Orlan-10 but with distinct features, appeared damaged from long exposure to seawater.

Drone discovered by beachgoers in Sozopol

According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, the fixed-wing drone was spotted in the morning by people relaxing on Harmani Beach in Sozopol — the city on the Black Sea’s southwestern coast about 50 km from Türkiye. The local Burgas Oblast administration contacted the military at 10:00, prompting authorization from Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov to deploy a navy team.

Navy specialists move in

A specialized unit from the Bulgarian Navy, led by Captain Third Rank Zhivko Karchev under the order of Fleet Admiral Vanio Musinski, arrived to investigate, mark, extract, transport, and dispose of unexploded ordnance. Upon inspection, the team determined the drone was of an unknown model and could not confirm whether it contained any munitions.

Destroyed on site for safety

For security reasons, and on the recommendation of the operation’s lead, the navy received permission to destroy the drone on site. At 11:20 local time, the UAV was eliminated in line with safety regulations. The Ministry of Defense later posted images of the wreck on Facebook, showing broken wings and a damaged fuselage.

Identification as Feniks UAV

Described by the Bulgarian military as an unidentified model, Ukrainian military news portal Militarnyi initially identified the drone as Orlan-10 — a widely-used Russian UAV model, very similar to the rarer Feniks. The Telegram community “Potuzhnyi informator,” however, later correctly identified the photos of the wreck as Feniks.

Bulgarian officials said the condition of the wreck suggested it had been in the water for several months before washing ashore. 

Today, there are a lot of updates regarding the Russian Navy. 

Recently, it’s been a bad few days for the Russian Navy, as the Ukrainian campaign has been reinforced by nature and even the Russians’ own incompetence. 

Spanning from the Black Sea and St. Petersburg to the Far East, Russian naval power and projection is falling apart at the seams.

Russia officially scraps Admiral Kuznetsov after years of failed repairs

The biggest news is that after years of repairs and accidents, Russians officially lost their last aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. The massive ship has now been decommissioned and is to be scrapped for parts. 

The main reason for this is that the ship spent most of its service life in port and under repairs, and the ability of the Russian military to maintain an expensive and very vulnerable aircraft carrier has disappeared. Western naval analysts joke that when the boat was not on fire, the massive smoke plume from its diesel exhaust made it seem like it was.

Most notably, the aircraft that make up its air wings are no longer in production, and due to the ramp on the flight deck putting too high a strain on the front gears, if the weight was too high, their fuel load and therefore operational range were already largely limited.

The list of incidents during its service is also long, with a few notable examples being the approximately 300,000 ton oil spill onto the Irish coast, five of its jets crashing into the ocean during operations as the arresting wires kept snapping, or they simply ran out of fuel, and several crew members dying because of the water filtration system’s failure during its maiden voyage. 

Kamchatka earthquake devastates Russian Pacific submarine bases

The bad days continue, as one of the largest earthquakes in recent history caused a tsunami to sweep along Russia’s far eastern shores.

Recently released satellite footage shows extensive damage to Russia’s two main naval bases here, one of which houses a large part of Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet, with the submarines visibly missing from the photos and possibly under repair.

Additionally, the Russian Academy of Sciences reports that the southern part of Kamchatka shifted two whole meters to the southeast as a result of the earthquake, causing speculations of much larger damage to Russian naval facilities not visible from satellite footage.

Ukraine obtains classified plans for Russia’s newest nuclear submarine

Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet then took another hit, as Ukrainian military intelligence revealed it had obtained a full set of classified documents and schematics on Russia’s newest strategic nuclear submarine, the Project 955 Aborey class. 

They released some of them online and stated that the classified documents include information about the submarine’s survivability systems, which entered service just over three weeks ago.

Ukrainian military intelligence also made a statement, saying they had already identified several weak points in the Russian sub right before Zelenskyy authorized a new series of covert operations. The details of which remain unknown. 

Single Ukrainian drone forces Russia to cancel Navy Day celebrations

Lastly, during Navy Day, celebrating the temporary existence and history of Russia’s fleets,

as well as its specialized naval infantry units currently fighting in Ukraine. Russian warships from all four Russian fleets were scheduled to hold a parade and gun salutes through the harbor of St. Petersburg, as well as air shows and ground troops conducting displays on land.

However, the parade and all its surrounding events were canceled due to safety concerns, as a single Ukrainian Liutyi drone was spotted flying over Leningrad Oblast.

As there were no reports of any confirmed hits, Ukrainians likely simply decided to fly a drone in the general vicinity and let Russia cancel the parade themselves, unable to intercept a possible threat from the skies.

Russian naval decline accelerates across Pacific and Baltic theaters

Overall, the loss of their only carrier is significant, as these types of ships allow a navy to exert strong military influence and capabilities on a global scale.

Extensive damage to its military bases and possibly also vessels on the Pacific coast results in a serious deterioration of both its regional influence and strategic deterrence capabilities. 

Ukraine having found weaknesses in the new Russian submarine’s defenses through classified documents and the news of additional covert operations being in the works only exacerbates this effect. 

With Russia’s global dominance already increasingly deteriorating, and parades meant to counteract this trend are being called off, this is another strong hit to Russian military geopolitical relevance, as more pressure is shifted onto the already strained Russian ground-based assets.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

At the international Sea Breeze 2025 exercises in the UK, Ukrainian marines surprised NATO instructors with their skill and combat experience. Some units had arrived directly from the front lines, and their expertise made an impression even on proficient partners, TSN reports.

“We managed to surprise our partners and neighbors. The experience of modern warfare that we unfortunately have is unique, and for now, it’s the most relevant,” says Navy spokesman Captain 2nd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk.

Ukraine not only learns but teaches allies

As part of the land component of Sea Breeze, Ukrainian troops not only trained with new technologies and mine countermeasure equipment but also shared their battlefield experience.

This year, four Ukrainian minehunters took part in the drills, as mine warfare remained the central focus.

“We had something to show our partners,” Pletenchuk emphasizes, stressing the importance of joint efforts for the future demining of the Black Sea.

NATO coordination is critical for Ukraine

Ukraine is actively working on interoperability with NATO member states

, especially those with direct access to the Black Sea — Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye.

“We hope our partners will join efforts to demine the Black Sea,” adds the Ukrainian Navy spokesperson.

On 30 June, the second phase of the multinational Sea Breeze exercises officially began in Portland, UK, with the participation of Ukraine’s Navy.

Ukraine has participated in Sea Breeze since 1997, now for 28 years. With the onset of the all-out war in 2022, the format of Sea Breeze changed. While the drills have continued, parts of them have been relocated outside Ukraine to the UK and Romania.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

A deputy commander of Russia's navy has been killed in a Ukrainian strike in Kursk Oblast, a Russian official confirmed on July 3.

Major General Mikhail Yevgenyevich Gudkov was killed alongside his deputy and several other Russian soldiers, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia's Primorsky Krai, said in a post on social media.

According to Russian milbloggers, 22 people in total were killed as a result of a Ukrainian HIMARS strike in Russia's Kursk Oblast bordering Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment on the attack.

Gudkov was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy in March 2025. Prior to that, he led the 155th Separate Marine Brigade, which has been involved in combat operations against Ukraine.

Ukraine has accused the 155th Separate Marine Brigade of committing numerous war crimes. According to the country's Air Assault Forces, members of the brigade are responsible for executing prisoners of war and humiliating captured Ukrainian soldiers.

Gudkov held the titles of Hero of Russia and Hero of Primorye, Russia's far eastern region where he previously served, Kozhemyako said.

HIMARS, whose prowess became a popular motif of internet memes, was a game-changer for Ukraine when they first arrived in the summer of 2022.

Initially supplied with GMLRS rockets with a range of around 70 kilometers, they allowed Ukraine to target Russian forces on the other side of the front line far more accurately than they had previously.

In the fall of 2023, the U.S. began supplying Kyiv with an older model of ATACMS – fired from HIMARS launchers – with a range of around 165 kilometers, greatly increasing the range that Ukraine could strike within.

Russia's high-ranking military officials have been killed on a regular basis throughout the full-scale invasion — a recent report from BBC Russia identified ten generals 10 generals and 524 lieutenant colonels and colonels.

Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, making it the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign troops since World War II. The move was intended to disrupt a planned Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's Sumy Oblast and to relieve pressure on the Donetsk front.

Since then, Ukraine claims it has inflicted 63,402 Russian troop casualties in the oblast, including 25,625 killed and 971 captured. Ukrainian forces also say they have destroyed or damaged over 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment in the area.

Russia retook most of the lost territory during a renewed offensive in March 2025, supported by North Korean troops.

‘A powerful secondary explosion’ — Ukrainian drones destroy Russian ammunition depot in Donetsk Oblast, SBU says

Unconfirmed videos posted to social media show a fire already burning followed by a large explosion and shockwave.

The Kyiv IndependentChris York