Ukrainian intelligence claims responsibility for the arson of $50m Russian Su‑34 bomber
12:29 PM EST, January 7, 2024
From Wednesday night to Thursday in Chelyabinsk, located in the Russian Urals, a Su-34 bomber was set ablaze. Ukrainian media was quick to report that this was the outcome of an operation by the local military intelligence service (HUR).
"On the night of January 3 to January 4, a Su-34 fighter-bomber burned down at the Shagol airport in Russian Chelyabinsk. It was a HUR operation," a source from the RBK-Ukraine portal stated.
The Ukrainian intelligence service reported that the aircraft belonged to the 21st Aviation Regiment of Russia's Mixed Air and Space Forces. The intelligence's YouTube account published a video capturing the moment of the aircraft's arson.
On Sunday, Russian media outlets reported that a 16-year-old boy had been taken into custody about the bomber arson.
A local Russian portal from Chelyabinsk reported that a 16-year-old Dagestan native, accused of trying to ignite a military aircraft, was put into investigative detention for two months. The court made this decision on Sunday, January 7, as informed by 74.ru journalists.
Attempt to set the Su-34 bomber on fire. Ukrainian intelligence video
The portal stated that according to the investigation, the teenager attempted to set the SU bomber on fire at the Shagol military airport in Chelyabinsk. "The plane was quickly put out, and FSB officers apprehended the suspect on January 5," reported 74.ru.
On Friday, the Russian state agency Tass relayed that the FSB apprehended a Russian citizen who, following orders from the Ukrainian special services, tried to sabotage a facility of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the Chelyabinsk region. As per the FSB's report, the saboteur was recruited via a social network.
There is also a case against the 16-year-old in his home region of Dagestan. The arson of communication installations and railway infrastructure allegedly occurred in this Russian republic in November and December 2023.
The 16-year-old now faces a prison sentence ranging from 12 to 20 years, informs the vesti.ru portal.
The Su-34 is among the most modern machinery available to the Russian army, estimated at about 50 million dollars.
Source: 74.ru, Tass, PAP
