Event in Ukraine on Wed 28th January 2026

Around 40 minutes ago, a Russian Su-34 aircraft crashed off the coast of Odesa Oblast. The aircraft which had taken off from Khanskaya Airbase, Republic of Adygea, flew on an extremely strange route, coming within 10 km of the coast of Odesa Oblast without cover from any Su-35 fighters, before making a sudden U-turn around Zmiinyi Island and crashing into the Black Sea. For reference, most launches of glide-bombs take place at around 45 km from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory. As the aircraft was already rapidly losing altitude prior to performing its U-turn, it's highly unlikely that it was shot down by Ukrainian air defence. Currently, Russian Ka-27 and Mi-8 helicopters are flying to the crash location to search for the pilots.