Fire affected a Russian Su-57 fifth-generation multirole fighter at the Akhtubinsk military airfield in Russia’s Astrakhan Region, according to the Ukrainian OSINT project Absoliutno Nadiine Dzherelo (lit. “Absolutely Reliable Source”), which analyzed satellite imagery. The project said the incident occurred Oct. 29 “as a result of an abnormal situation during engine startup,” adding that this was the fourth case in which an Su-57 had been lost or damaged since the beginning of 2026. As of Oct. 30, Russian authorities had not publicly confirmed the reported loss, and no independent Russian source had verified that the aircraft was destroyed.
According to Absoliutno Nadiine Dzherelo:
“On Oct. 29, 2026, at Akhtubinsk airfield, a Russian Su-57 fifth-generation multirole fighter caught fire — and burned completely — as a result of an abnormal situation during engine startup.
This is already the fourth Su-57 [to have been damaged or destroyed] in 2026: two were hit in the spring at Shagol airfield, and another was shot down by ‘friendly’ fire on July 23 in the Moscow Region. Considering that production is at most four aircraft per year, the quota has already been met.”
Satellite images published by the project show apparent burn marks at a parking spot used by an Su-57.
Another Ukrainian OSINT project, Oko Hora ✙ News and Analytics, reported that Russian aviation losses in October 2026 totaled 11 fighter aircraft and one helicopter. Two additional Su-34 fighter-bombers were partially damaged, according to the project.
As The Insider reported earlier this year, on July 23 an Su-57 crashed near the village of Lutsino in the Moscow region during a training flight. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the loss of the aircraft at the time. Before that, several Su-57s were reported damaged at Shagol airfield in the Chelyabinsk Region, about 1,700 kilometer (1,050 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
The Su-57 is Russia’s newest multirole fighter and is classified by Moscow as a fifth-generation combat aircraft. It made its first flight in 2010 and is considered the most advanced fighter in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to open-source data, Russia had about 30 Su-57s in service at the beginning of 2025.
Akhtubinsk is also home to the Russian military’s 929th State Flight Test Center, one of the country’s main facilities for testing and evaluating military aircraft. Ukraine has previously succeeded in damaging Su-57s. In June 2024, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency reported a strike on the Akhtubinsk airfield that damaged at least one Su-57. Pro-war Russian military Telegram channels also acknowledged damage to an aircraft at the time.
