Uncommon Il-38N ASW plane reportedly destroyed as Kyiv targets high-value enablers behind the entrance line.
Ukraine’s Safety Service (SBU) has launched footage displaying a drone strike in opposition to a Russian Navy Ilyushin Il-38N anti-submarine warfare plane at Yeysk Air Base, in southern Russia. In accordance with Ukrainian officers, the assault was carried out earlier this month and resulted within the destruction of certainly one of Russia’s restricted fleet of Il-38N plane.
The strike reportedly befell shortly earlier than a separate SBU operation performed on the Russian port of Novorossiysk, the place a Ukrainian unmanned underwater automobile focused an Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine. Ukrainian sources declare the assault on the Il-38N was designed to scale back the chance of the submarine operation being detected by Russian maritime patrol belongings working over the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s SBU struck a Russian Il-38N maritime patrol plane at Yeysk airbase earlier this month.
The strike reportedly crippled Russia’s ASW capabilities within the Black Sea, permitting a Ukrainian undersea drone to sneak into the Novorossiysk naval base and hit a Russian sub. pic.twitter.com/zqBTfYW3iZ
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) December 23, 2025
In an announcement accompanying the launched footage, the SBU stated it used a contemporary one-way assault drone outfitted with an above-ground detonation warhead containing roughly 2,000 downward-directed fragments. In accordance with the company, the explosion occurred straight above the plane’s major gear and radar compartment and likewise brought about harm to one of many engines.
Right here beneath is a translation from the message posted on Telegram by the SBU:
New particulars of the SBU’s distinctive particular operation: earlier than the explosion of a submarine in Novorossiysk, the Service disabled a Russian Il-38N maritime reconnaissance plane
The Safety Service of Ukraine has revealed beforehand unknown particulars of the preparations for the explosion of a Russian submarine within the port of Novorossiysk. One of many key levels of this particular operation was the disabling of a Russian anti-submarine plane, which may have hindered the destruction of the enemy submarine.
In preparation for the strike on the submarine, workers of the thirteenth Most important Directorate of the SBU’s Navy Counterintelligence Division disabled a modernized Il-38N reconnaissance plane (“Sea Dragon”) on the Yeisk airbase.
This plane is designed for maritime reconnaissance, looking for submarines, controlling water areas, setting minefields, and launching torpedo strikes. The disabled plane actively interfered with the work of the SBU’s maritime drones. The estimated value of this plane is 24 million US {dollars}. Within the Black Sea, the Russians had just one plane of this class, able to detecting the underwater drone “Sub Sea Child” because it was shifting in the direction of its goal. The disabling of this anti-submarine plane ensured the profitable execution of the primary a part of the particular operation – the destruction of a Varshavyanka-class submarine.
To destroy the Il-38N, the Safety Service of Ukraine used a contemporary drone with an above-ground explosive warhead, outfitted with two thousand damaging parts aimed downwards. The explosion occurred straight above the compartment with the primary gear and radars, and likewise broken the engine.
The revealed footage of the profitable assault on the Russian plane clearly demonstrates the actual stage of safety of enemy strategic objects, which differs considerably from the interior experiences and public statements of the Russian Protection Ministry.
The Safety Service of Ukraine will proceed to work on the authentic army targets of the enemy and destroy them the place they least anticipate it!
If confirmed, the loss could be important. The Russian Navy is believed to be outfitted with solely eight Il-38N plane, the upgraded model of the Chilly Warfare-era Il-38 maritime patrol plane. The one destroyed within the strike needs to be one of many two Il-38Ns assigned to the 859th Centre for Fight Utility and Crew Coaching for Naval Aviation at Yeysk.
A Uncommon, Specialised Maritime Patrol Asset
As beforehand reported by The Aviationist, the Il-38N is the modernized variant of the unique Il-38 “Could” maritime patrol plane, primarily based on the Il-18 airliner. The N-standard improve, also called the Il-38N “Novella”, launched a brand new mission system centered across the Novella-P-38 sensor suite. This improve considerably improved the plane’s functionality to detect submarines and floor targets utilizing a mixture of radar, electro-optical sensors, digital intelligence gear, and acoustic methods.
The Il-38N is able to carrying a variety of anti-submarine weapons, together with torpedoes, depth expenses, and naval mines. As documented in our earlier protection, the plane has been noticed loading and deploying giant sea-bottom mines throughout ASW workout routines, underscoring its continued relevance in Russia’s maritime surveillance and sea-denial technique.
Il-38Ns have additionally been concerned in long-range patrols and shut encounters with NATO forces. In 2025, one such plane was filmed buzzing the USS Carl Vinson service strike group within the Pacific.
Novorossiysk Submarine Assault
Final week, Ukraine reportedly carried out a beforehand undisclosed underwater drone assault on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, utilizing what the SBU described as a brand new “Sub Sea Child” unmanned system. In accordance with Ukrainian officers, the strike resulted within the sinking of a Russian Kilo-class submarine contained in the port.
The SBU didn’t launch exact particulars on the timing of the operation, nor did it make clear how lengthy the drone had been deployed earlier than the assault.
In its assertion, the company stated a Challenge 636.3 “Varshavyanka” submarine was hit and sustained what it described as essential harm, successfully placing the vessel out of motion.
Video footage revealed alongside the announcement reveals a number of Russian warships moored at Novorossiysk, with the submarine surfaced alongside the pier. Moments later, an explosion may be seen erupting within the water close by, sending plumes of spray into the air.
Strategic implications
As is commonly the case with strikes deep inside Russia, independently verifying the complete extent of the harm stays troublesome. Nonetheless, the footage launched by Ukrainian authorities means that the precious Il-38 was certainly hit. If the airframe was broken past restore, this may symbolize one other important loss in a distinct segment functionality that Russia can’t simply or shortly substitute. With solely a handful of modernized anti-submarine plane in service, each single airframe issues, and dropping one carries penalties that go effectively past the numbers, particularly in closely contested areas just like the Black Sea.
At a broader stage, the episode highlights how Ukraine has opted to go after high-value enablers fairly than simply frontline platforms. The mixture of long-range strike drones, unmanned underwater automobiles, and intelligence-driven concentrating on factors to a rising skill to problem Russian naval operations removed from the entrance line and inside what had been as soon as thought of comparatively safe rear areas.
