A Russian Su-34 fighter jet was lit on fire on Jan. 4 at the Shagol airbase in Chelyabinsk, Russia, which intelligence sources told Ukrainska Pravda was the work of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR).

The extent of damage to the plane, which costs at least $50 million, is unclear.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the information, and the HUR has not officially commented on the burning of the Russian jet.

Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced on Dec. 22 that his troops had downed three Russian Su-34 aircraft on the southern front.

Three days later, the Air Force reported the downing of another Su-34 plane and a Su-30 fighter jet.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Dec. 24 that Russia was decreasing its aviation activity after the string of repeated aircraft losses.

Chelyabinsk is located almost 2,000 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border.

Ukrainian sabotage attacks on Russian infrastructure have been reported even farther away, such as the derailing of a freight train on Dec. 1 in the far eastern republic of Buryatia, almost 5,000 kilometers from Ukraine.

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