Russia's Crimea Air Fleet Suffers Heavy Losses: A Timeline of Ukrainian Strikes Since 2022.

Russian Aviation Losses in Crimea

According to Novyny.live: Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Russia has lost dozens of aircraft and helicopters in occupied Crimea. The heaviest losses occurred in 2022, when Ukrainian forces executed a series of successful strikes against Russian aviation assets. A particularly significant blow came on August 9, 2022, when Ukraine's Defense Forces attacked the Saky airbase in Novofedorivka, destroying eight Su-24M bombers and four Su-30SM fighter jets. This strike marked one of the most damaging attacks on Russian air power in the early stages of the conflict.

Continued Ukrainian Strikes

Maintaining pressure on Russian military installations, Ukrainian forces destroyed another Su-24 at the 'Hvardiiske' airfield on August 16, 2022. In 2023, they successfully targeted a Russian aircraft in the Black Sea near Snake Island, demonstrating persistent threats to Russian aviation in the region. Further illustrating the intense combat activity, Russian air defenses over Crimea shot down one of their own Mi-8 helicopters in October 2023.

Russian losses continued into 2024 with the destruction of a Ka-27 helicopter and a Su-30SM fighter. Later that autumn, a special unit of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) destroyed a Su-30SM over the Black Sea. In December 2024, Magura V5 sea drones struck again, eliminating two Mi-8 helicopters.

The year 2025 saw even greater aviation losses for Russia, with at least 13 Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters destroyed. Aircraft losses for that year included:

• three Su-30s
• four Su-24s
• three Su-30SMs
• three An-26s
• one MiG-31
• one MiG-29

These cumulative losses reflect the complex situation on the front and the sustained pressure applied by Ukrainian forces. Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has become a critical and heavily contested battlespace in the wider war.

The cited losses of Russian aviation in Crimea underscore the significance of Ukrainian military operations and their impact on the strategic situation in the region.

The ongoing attacks on Russian military objects demonstrate Ukraine's capacity to maintain initiative and pose serious threats to Russian forces. These events are likely to influence the future course of military actions and the strategies of both sides in the conflict.