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Reuters

Ukraine’s military said its air force destroyed a Russian Beriev A-50 surveillance plane and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post in the Sea of Azov area in an operation that could delay some future Russian missile strikes.
Kyiv did not disclose how the sophisticated aircraft were struck. The Sea of Azov lies roughly 100km (60 miles) from areas Kyiv holds. Russia’s defence ministry had no immediate comment.
Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who announced the hits on Monday on Telegram messenger, posted a video of an aircraft tracking map suggesting the planes were struck over the Sea of Azov, which lies to the east of the occupied Crimean peninsula.
Reuters was unable to verify his statement independently.

Hours after Zaluzhnyi’s statement, a Russian military blog posted an image of the shrapnel-riddled tail section of an Il-22 standing on tarmac and lauded the crew as “real heroes”.
Kyiv’s air force spokesman reposted the image, saying the plane appeared to have made it to the Russian town of Anapa, but that it was beyond repair as it had been on fire. He added that the A-50 had been Kyiv’s priority target.
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The A-50, which first came into service near the end of the Soviet era, is a large Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft that can scan an area several hundred kilometres across for enemy aircraft, ships and missiles.
Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, told a briefing that Russia had used the plane extensively to prepare for and conduct long-range missile strikes on Ukraine in a war that nears its second anniversary.
“We expect such a strike (on the A-50) to be fairly painful and, at least, to delay powerful missile strikes,” she said.
Some Russian military bloggers said the downing of the A-50 would be a huge loss for Russia’s air force, since there was a limited number of the planes in service.
“It will be another dark day for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Air Defence,” wrote Rybar, a blogger with nearly 1.2 million subscribers that supports and provides running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“There are not many A-50s. And the specialists operating them are generally rare. If an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew will not be able to escape.”

The Ukrainian defence ministry valued the A-50 at US$330 million.
Ukrainian military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Financial Times that Russia had eight A-50s left.
London-based think tank IISS said in a 2021 report that Russia had nine A-50 aircraft in operation, including four modernised A-50U planes.
The Russian defence ministry said early last year that the modernised A-50U had been carrying out missions during the war in Ukraine.
The aircraft, which goes by the Nato reporting name of Mainstay, can detect more than 300 targets simultaneously, it said. It can detect and track a missile launch at a distance of 800km and ground and sea targets at 300km.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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Ukraine war

Ukraine says it destroyed a Russian A-50 spy plane and Il-22 command aircraft

A Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control plane. Photo: AP

Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. Photo: dpa

A missile explodes over Kyiv, Ukraine during a Russian attack on December 29, 2023. Photo: Reuters

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Fortifications, including ‘dragon’s teeth’ and barbed wire, near the front line outside Kupiansk, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

A freshly dug trench near the front lines outside Kupiansk, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

A newly dug trench for Ukrainians near the Belarus border, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting Avdiivka, Ukraine in December. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

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Russian troops fire artillery from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine in October 2022. Photo: AP

Recruits carry ammunition during military training at a firing range in the Rostov-on-Don region in southern Russia in October 2022. UK intelligence believes that Russia will lose half a million troops by year’s end. Photo: AP

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Shalanda Young, director of the US Office of Management and Budget. Photo: AP

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang arriving at Zurich Airport, Switzerland, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak in Davos, Switzerland. Photo: AP

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The planes are fundamental tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine
Shooting them down, if confirmed, would be a landmark feat for Ukraine in the almost two-year war


Ukraine’s military said its air force destroyed a Russian Beriev A-50 surveillance plane and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post in an operation that could delay some future Russian missile strikes.
