UKRAINE has destroyed one of Vladimir Putin’s prized fighter jets using its new missile-armed sea drones in a historic first.
Incredible footage captured the moment the £38million Russian Su-30 military aircraft was downed over the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency commemorated the incredible accomplishment – recognizing it as the initial instance where a military aircraft was taken down by an underwater drone.
It said the enemy combat jet was targeted by a Ukrainian unit called Group 13 on Friday.
They used a new Magura V5 – an uncrewed naval drone – to launch the strike over Novorossiysk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea.
Footage released by Kyiv shows the moment the sea drone latches onto the fighter jet and takes aim.
It fires directly up in the air and blasts the warplane in a huge explosion.
Putin’s jet is then seen tumbling through the sky as it plummets towards the sea in charred pieces.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence shared the clip and said: “War at sea is entering a new era.”
Russia has not commented on Ukraine’s claim – but a Russian blogger believed to be close to the Defence Ministry said the jet had been shot down.
The blogger known as Rybar, discussed on Telegram: “A naval aviation fighter aircraft Su-30 was destroyed by the Ukrainian forces 50 kilometers west of Novorossiysk.
“This was done from an uncrewed boat… the pilots ejected and were picked up by civilian sailors. Both are alive, and to hell with the plane.”
Last December, a Magura V5 downed a £12million Russian M-8 helicopter.
One of the key battles during the gruelling Ukraine war has been in the Black Sea.
Russia has controlled the air space with their fighter jets and drones for the last three years.
And for much of the war Ukraine’s fleet of sea drones have been almost defenceless to attacks from above.
But in recent months, Kyiv has been improving its sea defences.
Along with Magura V5’s used in the latest strikes, they also have Sea Baby surface one-way attack boats.
It also deployed a new jet-ski sea drone bristling with heat-seeking missiles to shoot down Russian helicopters.
The fighting over Ukrainian territory inland has continued to intensify in recent days – despite peace talks continuing.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia pounded Kharkiv with drone strikes overnight.
Over 40 civilians were injured with emergency crews rushing to put out fires and rescue those trapped in collapsed buildings.
The president posted a video of the attacks and mentioned: “Russia is targeting civilian neighborhoods at the exact time when Ukrainians are indoors, tucking their children into bed.
“Only fiends could give such orders and carry them out.
“While the world hesitates with decisions, nearly every night in Ukraine turns into a nightmare, costing lives.”
The latest attacks came just hours after Trump announced that the US will no longer act as the mediator to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
They said the decision has been made after Putin refused to accept a full ceasefire and instead offered a short three-day truce.
America said the country is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for meetings.
The shift comes just two days after the US and Ukraine signed a historic minerals deal – in what appeared to be final push by Washington to broker a peace plan.
Trump is said to be growing “increasingly frustrated” with both Putin and Zelensky in his attempts to bring the Ukraine war to a close.
The president, who appeared to be cosying up with Putin since taking over the White House in January, ordered Putin to “sit down and sign a deal”.
He said he was both “surprised and very disappointed” that mad Vlad continued to bomb Ukraine, despite the dictator engaging in crunch talks with US peace envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Black Sea battle
WEAVING and gliding unseen and unheard through dark waters, Ukraine’s naval drones have become Russia’s greatest menace in the Black Sea.
Without any real functioning navy of its own, Ukraine has managed to wipe out a third of Russia’s once fearsome Black Sea Fleet – including a submarine – and the rest appears to be on the run.
Kyiv’s specially-designed marine drones heavily laden with explosives have been blasting Russian targets, blowing up to £100million vessels out the water and even attacking Putin’s prized bridge to Crimea.
Remotely piloted using GPS and cameras, the lethal semi-submersibles are guided towards their targets and detonate on impact.
And almost every major hit has been perfectly captured on PoV footage onboard, serving up repeated humiliations for the Kremlin.
An SBU general, whose call sign is ‘Hunter’, told The Sun how marine drones have helped turn the tides of the Black Sea battle in Ukraine’s favour.
He said: “At the start of the full-scale invasion, control over the Black Sea gave Russia significant advantages, including a fire control over the Ukrainian coast and the ability to blockade our trade routes.
“That’s why President of Ukraine Voloydmyr Zelensky set us a task – end Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea.”
The general added: “Unmanned surface vehicles have changed the course of naval warfare.”
