Russia’s Advanced Su-57 Fighter Jet Explodes at Airfield, Ukraine Says - Newsweek
A Russian Su-57 fighter jet "exploded" at an airfield in southwestern Russia last week, Ukraine has claimed, in what would be the latest knock-back for Moscow's most sophisticated stealth aircraft if confirmed.
The Su-57's engines were starting up when the incident occurred at the Akhtubinsk airfield in the Astrakhan region on October 29, Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said on Monday.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Russia lauds the Su-57 as its most advanced and difficult-to-detect jet, describing it is a fifth-generation aircraft comparable to the U.S. F-35s and F-22s—although many Western aviation experts doubt whether it is stealthy enough to be in this category.
Moscow has used its Su-57 for long-range strikes in its war against Ukraine, but analysts quickly deemed its performance lackluster and Russia's appetite to risk its handful of coveted jets in Kyiv very low.
Russia had roughly 21 Su-57s in operation by the start of 2026, according to the British defense think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Moscow has been slow to roll out more of the Su-57 jets, production dragged back by the demands of Russia's continued war effort in Ukraine.
Ukrainian estimates put the cost of each Su-57 at around $150 million.
Ukraine's GUR said the engines fitted into the Su-57 can "explode or undergo catastrophic destruction" when filled with low quality jet fuel but did not directly attribute this to the claimed explosion.
Ukrainian officials say Russia has leaned on imports of aviation fuel because of Ukraine's sustained campaign of drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for Kyiv to stop the attacks aimed at curbing Russia's ability to fund its war.
The twin-engine supersonic Su-57 is sometimes referred to by its NATO moniker, Felon. It's the most state-of-the-art Russian fighter jet currently in operation.
While Russian pilots have flown Su-57s in operations against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the aircraft have tended to launch long-range strikes while staying away from the reach of Ukraine's air defense systems.
Ukrainian media has even reported Russia uses its Su-57s to launch air-to-air missiles at Ukrainian drones targeting Russian infrastructure—which would mean Moscow is using its most cutting-edge jet to shoot down uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that sometimes cost as little as tens of thousands of dollars.
Ukrainian authorities say two Su-57s were damaged by Ukrainian drones in May, while Russian media reported in July that another Su-57 had crashed near Moscow during a routine training flight.
Russia's defense ministry said a training aircraft had crashed while taking off from the area around the capital but did not specify the type of aircraft and said the pilot had safely ejected.
Russia's air force received several upgraded two-seater Su-57s in September, according to Russian officials. Moscow's defense ministry said the aircraft had a "new technical design" but did not elaborate.
