Ukraine claims to have shot down two strategically important Russian military planes. An A-50 early warning reconnaissance aircraft and an Il-22M flying command center were hit, the deputy head of the Ukrainian Parliament's National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee Yuri Mysyagin wrote in Telegram on Monday. Local media had already reported this that night. There is no official confirmation from Moscow.
According to media reports, the A-50 disappeared from radars after being hit in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine. The Il-22M11 – a modernized variant of the Il-22M – was reportedly hit in 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 reported, citing allegedly intercepted radio messages.
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“That's 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 sign of fire with the signature: “This is what you get for Dnipro! Burn in hell.” A year ago, on January 14, 2023, dozens of people died when a Russian missile hit a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Russian military bloggers speculated whether their own anti-aircraft defense was responsible for shooting down the planes. There have been several such cases over the past two years, wrote influential military blogger Rybar.
A serious blow to the Russian Air Force?
If the losses are confirmed, it would be a serious blow to the Russian Air Force, as both aircraft are equipped with expensive special equipment and were only produced in small numbers. The Russian military reportedly only has about a dozen A-50s and about the same number of Il-22Ms.