Satellite images show growing Russian fighter jet ‘boneyard’ at Lipetsk Air Base
February 17, 2026
As many focus on Russian fighter jet losses, less attention is paid to the gradual accumulation of ten-year-old fighter jets being abandoned and stripped for parts around Russia’s air force bases. Russia’s Lipetsk Air Force Base has shown a significant jump in fighter jets stored.
Growth in Russia’s mini aircraft ‘boneyard’
Yesterday, The Military Watch posted new satellite images showing fighter jet growth at Lipetsk Air Force Base, one of Russia’s fighter jet “boneyards.”
There has been a very interesting increase in the number of decommissioned aircraft stored at the Lipetsk AB. On 7 June 2022 on the sorage ramp total of 57x MiG-29, 25x MiG-31, 2x Su-24, 3x Su-25 and 7x Su-27 were observed. pic.twitter.com/LTaXlGE2F1
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) February 16, 2026
The OSINT account posted images from 2022, 2023, and 2025 showing the changes in fighter jets parked there. It says, “On 6 June 2025, we can see a total of 56x MiG-29, 28x MiG-31, 8x Su-24, 7x Su-25, 8x Su-27, 8x Flanker type (of which at least 4 are likely Su-35), and one Su-34.”
The account adds, “So during 3 years, between June 2022 and June 2025, at least 23 new aircraft were moved to storage ramp: 3x MiG-31, 6x Su-24, 4x Su-25, 1x Su-27, 8x Flanker type (of which at least 4 are likely Su-35) and 1x Su-34.”
Having a large number of outdated MiG-29s, it is no surprise that Russia is gradually retiring these. Su-24s, Su-27s, and Su-25s are also ageing systems being phased out.
Some aircraft were also removed from the site, presumably to be cannibalised for parts. It is unclear if the Su-34s and Su-35s were previously in service or prototypes.
So during 3 years, between June 2022 and June 2025, at least 23 new aircraft were moved to storage ramp: 3x MiG-31, 6x Su-24, 4x Su-25, 1x Su-27, 8x Flanker type (of wich at least 4 are likely Su-35) and 1x Su-34. pic.twitter.com/hj15k6aZ4P
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) February 16, 2026
Both the Su-35 Flanker-E/M and Su-34 Fullback only entered service in 2014. This suggests that some of these aircraft could be using up their flight hours in just 10 years and being retired while “still new.” This is around the age of the RAF’s oldest F-35Bs.
Western fighter jets typically come with significantly longer service life and flight hours than Russian/Soviet jets.
Modern Su-35s & Su-34s being removed from service
What is more interesting is the presence of four likely (up to eight) Su-35s and a Su-34. These are the backbone of Russia’s tactical aviation fleet. The Su-34, in particular, is doing much of the work in the war in Ukraine.
There are very interesting things visible in the Maxar sat imagery of Mozdok Air Base from 10 September 2024. We can see two dismantled Su-34 fuselages plus bunch of wings and stabilizers dumped behind one of the buildings. pic.twitter.com/U24ws6jpE4
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) May 2, 2025
The OSINT account, Oryx, has been able to independently confirm Russia has lost 20 Su-30SM, 42 Su-34, and eight Su-35S fighter jets in Ukraine. That is a total of 69 frontline fighter jets from its core modern tactical fleet.
But this is known to be an undercount. Yesterday, The Military Watch also posted, “another decommissioned Su-34 of the Russian Air Force. This one has been stored at Marinovka AB in the same spot since 24 March 2025.”
The account added, “It was either damaged beyond repair during attacks on 22 August 2024 or had simply reached the end of its service life.”
In May 2025, The Military Watch also identified two dismantled Su-34 fuselages at Russia’s Mozdok Air Base. It said that these two were retired, either due to damage or the end of their service life.
In January 2026, Rusi estimated Russia had 115 Su-34s by late 2020, sustained around 40 losses in the Ukraine war, recieved 48-50 new production Su-34s, giving it a fleet of around 125 examples. That’s a growth of 8-10 airframes over five years.
Another decommissioned Su-34 of the Russian Air Force. This one has been stored at Marinovka AB in the same spot since 24 March 2025. It was either damaged beyond repair during attacks on 22 August 2024 or had simply reached the end of its service life. pic.twitter.com/QKu6mPdru1
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) February 16, 2026
But this seems overly optimistic as either more Fullbacks are being damaged and then stripped for parts or the war is guzzling their service life flight hours. Just these examples found by The Military Watch using satellite imagery add another four Su-34s permanently removed from service.
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Many air forces lack a clear ‘boneyard’
As AGN has pointed out before, fighter jet counts in many countries are often overcounted because governments may not release numbers, or they may just leave worn-out airframes on the books as paper airplanes.
Analysts are then forced to scour satellite imagery and count the number of fighter jets at countries’ airfields. Many fighter jets were abandoned and left to rot at airports.
The United States provides updated lists of its inventories, and retired and reserved aircraft are then neatly placed in the Davis-Monthan boneyard and catalogued.
Russia is a country with multiple de facto boneyards. Sometimes, worn-out or reserved aircraft are gathered at airbases like Libsesk, while other types of individual aircraft are found abandoned around various airbases.
This is part of the reason why sites like FlightGlobal list Russia with a combat fleet of around 1,500 aircraft, but Rusi reduces it to a core fleet of up to 675 aircraft (including bombers). Even that figure may be an overstatement.
Featured Image: UAC
