Rare Il-38N ASW aircraft reportedly destroyed as Kyiv targets high-value enablers behind the front line.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has released footage showing a drone strike against a Russian Navy Ilyushin Il-38N anti-submarine warfare aircraft at Yeysk Air Base, in southern Russia. According to Ukrainian officials, the attack was carried out earlier this month and resulted in the destruction of one of Russia’s limited fleet of Il-38N aircraft.
The strike reportedly took place shortly before a separate SBU operation conducted at the Russian port of Novorossiysk, where a Ukrainian unmanned underwater vehicle targeted an Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine. Ukrainian sources claim the attack on the Il-38N was designed to reduce the likelihood of the submarine operation being detected by Russian maritime patrol assets operating over the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s SBU struck a Russian Il-38N maritime patrol aircraft at Yeysk airbase earlier this month.
The strike reportedly crippled Russia’s ASW capabilities in the Black Sea, allowing 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 a statement accompanying the released footage, the SBU said it used a modern one-way attack drone equipped with an above-ground detonation warhead containing approximately 2,000 downward-directed fragments. According to the agency, the explosion occurred directly above the aircraft’s main equipment and radar compartment and also caused damage to one of the engines.
Here below is a translation from the message posted on Telegram by the SBU:
New details of the SBU’s unique special operation: before the explosion of a submarine in Novorossiysk, the Service disabled a Russian Il-38N maritime reconnaissance aircraft
The Security Service of Ukraine has revealed previously unknown details of the preparations for the explosion of a Russian submarine in the port of Novorossiysk. One of the key stages of this special operation was the disabling of a Russian anti-submarine aircraft, which could have hindered the destruction of the enemy submarine.
In preparation for the strike on the submarine, employees of the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU’s Military Counterintelligence Department disabled a modernized Il-38N reconnaissance aircraft (“Sea Dragon”) at the Yeisk airbase.
This aircraft is designed for maritime reconnaissance, searching for submarines, controlling water areas, setting minefields, and launching torpedo strikes. The disabled aircraft actively interfered with the work of the SBU’s maritime drones. The estimated cost of this aircraft is 24 million US dollars. In the Black Sea, the Russians had only one aircraft of this class, capable of detecting the underwater drone “Sub Sea Baby” as it was moving towards its target. The disabling of this anti-submarine aircraft ensured the successful execution of the main part of the special operation – the destruction of a Varshavyanka-class submarine.
To destroy the Il-38N, the Security Service of Ukraine used a modern drone with an above-ground explosive warhead, equipped with two thousand destructive elements aimed downwards. The explosion occurred directly above the compartment with the main equipment and radars, and also damaged the engine.
The published footage of the successful attack on the Russian aircraft clearly demonstrates the real level of protection of enemy strategic objects, which differs significantly from the internal reports and public statements of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Security Service of Ukraine will continue to work on the legitimate military targets of the enemy and destroy them where they least expect it!
If confirmed, the loss would be significant. The Russian Navy is believed to be equipped with only eight Il-38N aircraft, the upgraded version of the Cold War-era Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft. The one destroyed in the strike should be one of the two Il-38Ns assigned to the 859th Centre for Combat Application and Crew Training for Naval Aviation at Yeysk.
A Rare, Specialized Maritime Patrol Asset
As previously reported by The Aviationist, the Il-38N is the modernized variant of the original Il-38 “May” maritime patrol aircraft, based on the Il-18 airliner. The N-standard upgrade, also known as the Il-38N “Novella”, introduced a new mission system centered around the Novella-P-38 sensor suite. This upgrade significantly improved the aircraft’s capability to detect submarines and surface targets using a combination of radar, electro-optical sensors, electronic intelligence equipment, and acoustic systems.
The Il-38N is capable of carrying a wide range of anti-submarine weapons, including torpedoes, depth charges, and naval mines. As documented in our previous coverage, the aircraft has been observed loading and deploying large sea-bottom mines during ASW exercises, underscoring its continued relevance in Russia’s maritime surveillance and sea-denial strategy.
Il-38Ns have also been involved in long-range patrols and close encounters with NATO forces. In 2025, one such aircraft was filmed buzzing the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group in the Pacific.
Novorossiysk Submarine Attack
Last week, Ukraine reportedly carried out a previously undisclosed underwater drone attack at the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, using what the SBU described as a new “Sub Sea Baby” unmanned system. According to Ukrainian officials, the strike resulted in the sinking of a Russian Kilo-class submarine inside the port.
The SBU did not release precise details on the timing of the operation, nor did it clarify how long the drone had been deployed before the attack.
In its statement, the agency said a Project 636.3 “Varshavyanka” submarine was hit and sustained what it described as critical damage, effectively putting the vessel out of action.
Video footage published alongside the announcement shows several Russian warships moored at Novorossiysk, with the submarine surfaced alongside the pier. Moments later, an explosion can be seen erupting in the water nearby, sending plumes of spray into the air.
Strategic implications
As is often the case with strikes deep inside Russia, independently verifying the full extent of the damage remains difficult. Still, the footage released by Ukrainian authorities suggests that the valuable Il-38 was indeed hit. If the airframe was damaged beyond repair, this would represent another significant loss in a niche capability that Russia cannot easily or quickly replace. With only a handful of modernized anti-submarine aircraft in service, every single airframe matters, and losing one carries consequences that go well beyond the numbers, especially in heavily contested areas like the Black Sea.
At a broader level, the episode highlights how Ukraine has opted to go after high-value enablers rather than just frontline platforms. The combination of long-range strike drones, unmanned underwater vehicles, and intelligence-driven targeting points to a growing ability to challenge Russian naval operations far from the front line and inside what were once considered relatively secure rear areas.
