A Russian Su-34 fighter jet mysteriously burned down deep inside Russian territory, video appears to show

• A Russian fighter jet burned down deep inside Russia, a video appears to show.
• The video was shared on X by Ukraine's intelligence service.

A Russian fighter jet mysteriously burned down deep inside Russia, a video appears to show.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) shared a video showing a Su-34 fighter-bomber catching fire as someone walks away from the scene.

It said the incident occurred at Shagol airfield in the west-central Russian city of Chelyabinsk last night and that the aircraft involved was from the aviation regiment of the 21st Mixed Aviation Division of the Russian Air Force.

It added that "the cause of the fire is under investigation."

However, Ukrainska Pravda reported that the fire was the result of a "special operation" by the DIU, citing an unnamed source.

"We can confirm that the enemy aircraft has been completely burnt out," the source said, per Pravda.

Su-34s reportedly cost at least $50 million and are a key part of Russia's air fleet.

Ukraine's Security Service, the DIU, and Russia's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comments.

It is not the first time Ukraine has claimed such attacks on enemy fighter jets in Russian or Russian-occupied territories.

In October, Kyiv's Defense Ministry said its special operations forces had attacked airfields at Berdyansk and Luhansk, destroying nine helicopters, an air-defense launcher, vehicles, and ammunition depots, while causing damage to the airstrips.

In August, a spokesperson for Ukraine's intelligence branch of the Ministry of Defense told Reuters that four Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes were destroyed at an airfield in Pskov, Russia.

That same month, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Post that it had struck a MiG-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets at Kursk airfield in western Russia using drones.