Two highly valuable Russian aircraft – one of Moscow’s few remaining sophisticated AWACS planes and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command center – reportedly vanished from radar near Ukraine’s Sea of Azov border, according to Kyiv’s claim on social media. If confirmed, this could deal a blow against Russian military activities within occupied Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military says it has destroyed a Russian spy plane
Ukraine’s top general announced Monday that Ukrainian air force forces had successfully carried out a “perfectly planned and executed operation” against two Russian A-50 long range radar detection aircraft and one Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command plane he termed as an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command plane in the Sea of Azov region. The A-50 can detect enemy jets and missiles as well as act as an airborne command centre according to defense ministry information; its Soviet-era counterpart can carry radars, fighter jets or bombers while Russia currently employs six A-50s and eight Il-22s
Video posted to social media appeared to show one of two planes disappearing from radar over the Azov Sea near Berdyansk and turning south before dissipating from radar again in that area. A military post thanked both planes’ pilots as well as members of the public for their support.
Official Kremlin sources did not address these allegations and most pro-Kremlin military social media did not comment, instead praising Ukraine’s air defenses and Ukraine itself. But some, like Rybar’s military channel reported that should these losses become true it would be an “embarrassing blow” to Russia’s air force.
The BBC’s Frank Gardner believes this development may provide Ukraine with some temporary relief, given shortages of ammunition, low morale among troops and continued attacks from Russia on its infrastructure. Over recent months, Russian air force commanders planning massed missile attacks on Ukraine have often launched reconnaissance aircraft several days or so prior to an attack in order to locate targets and pinpoint air defence systems on Ukraine.
Destroying two expensive aircraft could force the Kremlin to adapt its tactics, notes our correspondent. Ukraine would previously have been able to shoot down Russian warplanes on an extensive scale using larger numbers of air defence batteries and longer range engagements with missiles protecting these batteries; but due to adaptation by the Kremlin these tactics have since been scaled back significantly, he observes.
Ukraine’s military says it has destroyed a Russian command aircraft
Ukrainian military forces claimed they have destroyed two Russian aircraft – a Beriev A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command plane – that were operating out of occupied southern Ukraine. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi of the army’s chief, didn’t specify how the expensive planes were brought down, though he shared on social media an airplane tracker which appeared to show two targets disappearing over the Azov Sea that separates Ukraine and Russia and which lies north of Crimea which Moscow took control over during their 2014 invasion invasion.
The A-50 is a high-speed reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft valued at roughly $330 million, while the IL-22 is a highly mobile airborne command center, essential to battlefield communication. If Ukraine’s claims prove correct, this would mark the first time in this conflict that Kiev successfully destroyed one of these Russian airborne command aircraft.
Ukrainian officials have not given an account of how two Russian planes were shot down, nor has Russia commented. A prominent military blogger known by its initials FCB (Fighterbomber) reported that an A-50 vanished shortly after taking off from a base near Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, while an Ilyushin Il-22 returned with some damage at Anapa in southern Russia.
Ukrainian officials described the loss of two Russian planes as “significant blow” and celebrated their army’s success, while an independent military expert called it a serious test for Ukraine’s anti-aircraft systems. Experts speculated that both planes may have been destroyed by air-to-air missiles and warned more attacks might follow if Moscow fails to withdraw forces from occupied territories and stop firing on civilian areas in Ukraine. They warned this attack was part of a potentially “dangerous scenario,” potentially sparking wider conflict between both countries.
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