Ukrainian air defenses reportedly shot down two Russian air force aircraft on Sunday, including a Beriev A-50 early-warning aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-22 command center jet. This was reported by the daily newspaper “Kyiv Post”, citing Ukrainian sources.
“The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zalushny, has confirmed the destruction of an A-50 aircraft and an air-launched Il-22 command post,” the Ukrainian newspaper wrote on Monday on X (formerly Twitter, see post below) .
No confirmation from Russia yet
Salushnyi thanked the air force for the well-planned and executed operation in the Azov region, the report said. The deputy head of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence in the Ukrainian parliament, Yuri Myzyagin, confirmed on Telegram on Monday the shooting down of the two Russian planes. There is currently no official confirmation from Moscow.
According to media reports, the A-50 disappeared from radars after being hit over the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia. The Il-22M11 – a modernized variant of the Il-22M – is said to have struck over the Sea of Azov and made an emergency landing in the southern Russian city of Anapa. The pilot requested an ambulance to the landing site, RBK-Ukraina reports, citing reportedly intercepted radio messages.
“This is what you get for Dnipro. Burn in hell!”
The Ukrainian General Staff did not report the shooting in its situation report on Monday morning. However, Air Force Chief Mykola Oleshchuk posted a plane and a fire sign with the signature: “This is what you get for Dnipro. Burn in hell!” A year ago, on January 14, 2023, dozens of people were killed when a Russian missile hit a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Russian military bloggers speculated whether their own air defenses were responsible for shooting down the planes. There have been several such cases in the past two years, wrote influential military blogger Rybar.
Shooting them down would be a bitter blow to the Russians
If the losses are actually confirmed, it would be a bitter blow to the Russian air force, as the two aircraft are equipped with expensive special equipment and were only produced in small numbers. The Russian armed forces reportedly only have a dozen A-50s and about as many Il-22Ms.
The A-50 – a counterpart to the American early warning system Boeing E-3 – is seen as an important instrument for Russian air traffic surveillance. The 15-man crew of the Beriev, a flying command center, not only monitors enemy aircraft, but also coordinates its own air force.
The Ilyushin Il-22M, which was also shot down, is a flying command post equipped with all kinds of technology for modern warfare and, according to reports from British intelligence services, plays an important role in the war in Ukraine.
Source: Krone
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