The agency displayed satellite images, asserting that they confirmed the strike.
The GUR did not specify the precise Ukrainian military unit involved in the attack on the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter in a post on Telegram.
A well-known Russian military blogger known as Fighterbomber, who specializes in aviation, confirmed the report of the strike on the Su-57, asserting that a drone hit it accurately.
The GUR said that the aircraft was stationed at the Akhtubinsk airfield, which, according to them, is 589 km away from the front lines in Ukraine, where Ukrainian and Russian invasion forces are positioned.
“The pictures show that on June 7, the Su-57 was standing intact, and on (June 8), there were craters from the explosion and characteristic spots of fire caused by fire damage near it,” the GUR said, with the images posted alongside the message.
The Russian invasion has engaged Ukraine in a full-scale conflict since February 2022. Both sides regularly launch strikes hundreds of kilometers into adversary territory using missiles and drones.
Ukraine, which does not have the extensive missile arsenal that Moscow possesses, has concentrated on developing long-range drones to hit targets deep within Russia.
According to Russian blogger Fighterbomber, the jet fighter was hit by shrapnel, and the extent of the damage is currently being evaluated to determine if the aircraft can be repaired.
He said that declaring the plane irreparable would mark the first combat loss of a Su-57.
Alexander Kharchenko, a military correspondent for the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, posted a cryptic message. While he did not directly acknowledge the strike, he expressed criticism over the lack of hangars to safeguard military aircraft.
Despite its promotion as a Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft to rival its U.S. counterpart, the Su-57 experienced numerous development delays and a crash in 2019. The aircraft’s serial production began in 2022, according to its manufacturer.
It is a heavy-duty fighter jet that can carry out a variety of combat tasks.
