In an apparent first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter has been destroyed, according to Ukraine. Interestingly, there has been little to no evidence that Russia has been using any of its MiG-29s in the conflict in Ukraine, and this latest incident does little to clear up that point. What we can say with confidence is that the target of the drone strike looks exactly like one of the relatively advanced carrier-based versions of the jet, but it may have been a non-operational example, or possibly even an elaborate decoy.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), in a post on Telegram, the strike was carried out on the night of December 4 by the “Ghost” special forces unit, using long-range drones of undisclosed type. Based on the video footage, they could well be the same fiber-optic types that have been launched from Ukrainian drone boats.
As well as the MiG-29, an Irtysh surveillance radar was also hit, the agency said. The MiG-29 was at the airfield of Kacha, just outside the port city of Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, while the radar was struck near Simferopol, also in Crimea. A video published by the GUR shows both targets being attacked.
“GUR special forces continue to systematically weaken Moscow’s air defense system over the temporarily occupied peninsula, destroying radars, anti-aircraft systems, and now also fighter aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces,” the GUR said.
The Fulcrum in question appears to be a Russian Navy MiG-29KR or MiG-29KUBR. Since both these jets, which are single-seaters and two-seaters, respectively, have the same cockpit canopy, it is very hard to distinguish between them in the available imagery. The single-seater has an additional fuel tank in place of the back-seater’s cockpit.
Satellite imagery of Kacha over recent months also reveals at least one dark-gray-painted Fulcrum, which would also conform with it being a MiG-29KR or MiG-29KUB, or a mockup thereof. Puzzlingly, the MiG in question appears to have come and gone from the base at different periods. We have looked at satellite imagery over much of the last year, and it seems to have been present intermittently over the summer at the facility.
The Russian Navy’s MiG-29KR and MiG-29KUBR are superficially similar to the original MiG-29 but use an all-new airframe. Compared to the basic MiG-29, they feature a new digital fly-by-wire control system, plus upgraded engines, avionics, and weapon systems. The jets have a larger wing with double-slotted flaps, leading-edge vortex controllers (LEVCONs), an arrester hook, and other features that allow them to operate from the Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. The aircraft has also been exported to India.
In 2012, Russia ordered 20 MiG-29KR and four MiG-29KUBR fighters, and the first example took to the air in 2013. The fighters are normally land-based at Severomorsk, alongside Su-33 Flankers, which are also carrier-capable, but far less advanced than the MiGs.
As we have detailed in the past, the Admiral Kuznetsov has not been to sea for years, and the prospects of it doing so again are increasingly slim. As a result, it’s somewhat puzzling that we haven’t seen them being employed by Russia in a land-based role during the war in Ukraine, although there are at least unconfirmed claims that they’ve been utilized in some capacity.
The MiG-29KUB/KUBR brings a true multirole capability that was absent from early-generation Fulcrums.
It can carry up to 9,920 pounds of weapons and stores on nine hardpoints (eight under the wing and one under the fuselage). Air-to-air weapons include up to six medium-range R-77 (AA-12 Adder) air-to-air missiles with active radar guidance, or up to six short-range R-73 (AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles with infrared guidance.
Air-to-surface options include four subsonic Kh-35 (AS-20 Kayak) or supersonic Kh-31A (AS-17 Krypton) anti-ship missiles, or four KAB-500Kr TV-guided bombs. The aircraft also has a single 30mm cannon in the port leading-edge root extension.
As such, the MiG-29KUB/KUBR is one of the most capable tactical fighters in the Russian inventory, albeit limited by its relatively small numbers.
Ever since first annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia has thoroughly militarized the peninsula, using it as a base for regular missile and drone attacks against Ukraine, operations in the Black Sea, as well as land operations into southern Ukraine. However, the peninsula has come under repeated missile and drone attacks by Ukraine.
Oddly, however, the MiG-29 in the video was parked on a helicopter landing pad, and the base itself has never hosted regular fighter jet operations. Previously, only helicopters and flying boats operated there. Indeed, two Be-12 Mail flying boats were targeted in another drone strike at Kacha, as you can read about here.
Stefan Büttner, an expert in Russian airbase infrastructure, told TWZ that he has had doubts about MiG-29s regularly operating from the base ever since the first satellite imagery emerged. To his knowledge, no official or unofficial photos have ever been shown depicting fighter operations there, and there are hardly any large areas of concrete to support such operations. It’s also worth noting that other airbases in Crimea (and elsewhere) that host tactical jets used in the conflict, two of which are located very close by, have received hardened aircraft shelters to protect them.
One explanation put forward by Büttner is that this aircraft was a decoy, placed on the base to tempt Ukrainian strikes and protect other assets using the facility. This could imply a MiG-29KUB/KUBR withdrawn from service, likely after a mishap that was too costly or complex to repair. It could also be a fabricated decoy intended to resemble this more advanced version of the jet. Still, the drone footage posted indicates if it were a custom-built decoy, it would be extremely high-fidelity in nature, with even the lower parts of the jet matching perfectly with a real MiG-29KR.
A satellite image from June 10, 2025, and shared with TWZ by Büttner, also shows a MiG-29 at Kacha, but no sign of any jet deflectors or traces in the grass from the thrust of the engines, raising questions about the jet’s activity. Even if it were a real flyable aircraft, why would just one be deployed sporadically at a base with no tactical aviation support when two other bases that host fighter and attack aircraft contingents sit close by?
As it stands, there are significant doubts about whether this Fulcrum, or any more like it, was being used in an operational context in the Ukrainian conflict. While the aircraft would certainly be of value to the Russian campaign there, we will have to wait for more evidence to confirm whether they have actually flown from Kacha, an airfield that is far from suitable for their use.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com