Zelenskyy hails historic naval drone strike as Ukraine shoots down Russian fighter jet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised the Ukrainian military for what he called a "brilliant" operation, confirming that a Russian warplane was destroyed using a naval drone and another aircraft was eliminated in a strike on occupied Crimea.

"The destruction of Russian military aircraft by our naval drone was brilliant—a clear demonstration of Ukrainian capabilities," Zelenskyy said. "Our army conducted a precise operation on military targets in Crimea: one more down, another Russian plane in just 24 hours."

He also confirmed that Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea resulted in the destruction of Russian military warehouses.

"I’m grateful to our troops who are expanding Ukraine’s long-range capabilities—both in the air and at sea. Everyone who is working to enable Ukraine to fight back against the occupiers, who is developing and deploying new technological capabilities for our country—I thank each of you," he added.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency confirmed that a Russian Su-30 fighter jet was destroyed using a missile launched from a seaborne drone, in what it called the world’s first downing of a combat aircraft by a maritime drone.

According to GUR, the operation was carried out by a military intelligence unit known as Group 13 on Friday. The fighter jet was reportedly shot down over waters near Novorossiisk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea.