A video surfaced on social media showing the aftermath of a sabotage attack on a Russian fighter plane at the Uglovoye Air Base near Vladivostok, in eastern Russia. The attackers, reportedly supporters of an opposition group against the Russian regime called the Freedom of Russia Legion, gained access to the air base and set fire to the landing gear of a fighter using a flammable liquid. The video footage shows the landing gear of the aircraft quickly engulfed in flames.
“While we stand up for the truth with weapons in our hands, free Russians inside the country continue to fight the regime,” the Freedom of Russia Legion said in a message accompanying the video shared on March 10, 2023. “Another plane that could drop bombs on the heads of Ukrainians landed forever.”
«Unknown partisans near Vladivostok burned Su-27 at the Tsentralnaya Uglovaya airbase in the city of Artyom , where the 22nd Aviation Regiment of Russian Aerospace Forces is based.» - from the media of the “Freedom of Russia Legion” https://t.co/suxC6Zqwpa pic.twitter.com/7lBlDc5gYV
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 10, 2023
Uglovoye Air Base houses the 22nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, flying the Su-27 fighter. Although the video is short, the aircraft appears to be a Su-27 or a similar model, such as the Su-30, Su-33, or Su-35.