X/Defense of Ukraine
- Ukraine’s “Ghosts” unit said it destroyed two more Russian jets and hit radar systems.
- The mysterious unit hunts Russian assets, particularly in Crimea.
- This time, Ukrainian military intelligence said it burned two Russian An-26 transport aircraft.
Ukraine’s “Ghosts” unit claimed two more Russian aircraft kills this week, saying it destroyed two Russian transport aircraft and hit two radar systems in a drone attack.
Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate (HUR) said Thursday that the unit burned two Russian An-26 aircraft, describing it as part of an ongoing effort to eliminate high-value Russian targets on the occupied Crimean peninsula.
The Antonov An-26, which NATO calls “Curl,” is a twin-engined turboprop transport aircraft originally designed in the Soviet Union. The plane first entered service in 1970, and it hasn’t been in production since the 1980s.
The HUR said the attack also hit a surface surveillance radar station, and a coastal MR-10M1 “Mys M1” radar system. Russia has not commented on the attack. Business Insider was unable to independently confirm the reported details.
Ukraine’s defense ministry also reported the attack and shared video footage of what appears to be the drone strike, along with clips of burning aircraft. The defense ministry said the aging Russian aircraft were destroyed.
Two russian An-26 aircraft and coastal radars — another targets destroyed by the @DI_Ukraine “Ghosts” in Crimea.During a raid on the Crimea peninsula, Ukrainian forces destroyed two russian An-26 transport aircraft and also struck a surface surveillance radar station and the… pic.twitter.com/6j1V9R9li4
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 25, 2025
Ukraine did not say which drones were used or how they were employed, but Ukrainian forces have used both long- and short-range attack drones to target Russian aircraft parked at airbases both in occupied Crimea and inside Russia.
These Ukrainian tactics have been effective in degrading some Russian capabilities and have even sparked new worries that Western air bases could be vulnerable to a similar style of attack and potentially need stronger defenses.
The HUR’s announcement came after it said on Monday that the “Ghosts” destroyed two Russian Be‑12 “Chaika” aircraft in an attack in Crimea, calling it the first time in history that the aircraft, which Russia is said to use to hunt enemy naval drones, have been destroyed in combat.
Beyond the recent attacks on Russian warplanes, the Ukrainian “Ghosts” unit has claimed a string of hits on Russian equipment and bases, mostly in Crimea, though details are limited. For instance, Ukraine previously reported that it struck components of a Russian S-400 “Triumf” air defense system, as well as other radar and communications targets.
It is a special unit as part of the HUR, which describes its purpose as being the “demilitarization of temporarily occupied Crimea.” It has destroyed Russian aircraft and air defense systems, hit Russian bases, and targeted Russian surveillance infrastructure, as well as conducting night hunts to look for Russian assets.
Ramil Nasibulin/Getty Images
Ukraine has been attacking Russian military targets in Crimea and the nearby Black Sea throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion using aerial drones, missiles, and sea drones. In addition to striking aircraft, its attacks have damaged Russian military headquarters and damaged and sunk Russian ships, with Russia moving much of its Black Sea Fleet to safer waters farther from Ukraine.
Crimea is hugely important and symbolic for Ukraine. Russia has occupied the peninsula since 2014, and getting it back is a major goal for Kyiv.
There has been a clear uptick in Ukrainian attacks there in recent weeks. The HUR said that the “Ghosts” also destroyed three Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a Nebo-U radar in Crimea in an attack on Saturday.
Russia and Ukraine want to eliminate each other’s aircraft to hinder the enemy’s ability to conduct intelligence-gathering flights or strikes. Both sides have struggled to use their aircraft to their full potential amid efforts to knock out targets on the ground and the employment of extensive air defense coverage to target enemy aircraft, meaning neither side can get full control of the battlefield or fly regularly too close to the front lines.
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