Ukrainian forces have shot down another Russian A-50 radar command aircraft over the Sea of Azov, confirmed Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.
“We greet Russians on Armed Forces Day! You should be celebrating at home!” Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1761096232636739609
According to the Ukrainian outlet Liga.net, citing its sources, the operation was jointly conducted by Ukraine’s Air Force and Intelligence service.
Russian Telegram channels report the plane crashed in Russia’s Krasnodar krai. Witnesses in the village of Trudovaya Armeniya saw the burning aircraft go down. Sources tell the Ukrainska Pravda it occurred between the Russian cities of Yeysk and Krasnodar.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1761092341123739814
The A-50 is a highly valuable radar command plane that serves as Russia’s “eye in the sky” guiding strikes on Ukraine.
This follows another Russian A-50 downed by Ukraine on 14 January over the Sea of Azov. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow had six such aircraft total. One was damaged in a drone attack in Belarus, and two have now been lost near the Azov Sea.
“These losses are extremely painful for Russia, and they have no absolute means to replenish them,” military analyst Yigal Levin wrote on Telegram.
Read more:
- Russia reportedly loses valuable AWACS A-50 aircraft over Azov Sea (updates)
- Ukraine Air Force: Russian colonel, junior officers were on board of destroyed A-50 AWACS plane
- UK: New Russian A-50 radar plane kept distant from Ukraine after previous one downed