Ukraine says it has shot down £250m Russian spy aircraft in pricey blow to Putin

Free of charge actual time breaking information alerts despatched straight to your inbox signal as much as our breaking information emails

Signal as much as our free breaking information emails

Ukraine has mentioned it has shot down two prized Russian warplanes in what would quantity to probably the most profitable assault on Kremlin plane for the reason that starting of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Normal Valerii Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, mentioned on Monday morning {that a} Russian A-50 spy aircraft, price greater than £250m, had been destroyed in in a single day strikes within the southern occupied territories, whereas an IL-22 command plane had been hit off the Crimean coast.

“Ukraine’s Air Power destroyed an enemy A-50 long-range radar detection plane and an enemy IL-22 air management centre,” Gen Zaluzhny wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

“I’m grateful to the Air Power for the superbly deliberate and executed operation within the Azov Sea area!”

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s chief of navy intelligence, later informed the Monetary Instances that the A-50 was shot down and exploded, whereas the Il-22 was badly broken.

“Sadly for us, [the Il-22] managed to make an emergency touchdown in Anapa,” Mr Budanov mentioned, referring to a small Russian coastal city to the east of Russian-occupied Crimea.

Whereas not but independently confirmed, it might make the primary time an A-50 aircraft has been destroyed by Ukrainian forces. It first got here into service close to the tip of the Soviet period and is a big airborne early warning and management plane that may scan an space a number of hundred kilometres throughout for enemy plane, ships and missiles.

Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern navy command, informed a briefing that Russia had used the aircraft extensively to arrange for and conduct long-range missile strikes on Ukraine.

”We count on such a strike [on the A-50] to be pretty painful and, at the very least, to delay highly effective missile strikes,” she mentioned.

Some Russian navy bloggers mentioned the downing of the A-50 could be an enormous loss for Russia’s air power, since there was a restricted variety of the planes in service.

“It will likely be one other darkish day for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Air Defence,” wrote Rybar, or Mikhail Zvinchuk, a blogger with almost 1.2 million subscribers who helps and offers working commentary on Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.

”There will not be many A-50s. And the specialists working them are typically uncommon. If an plane of this sort is hit, the crew won’t be able to flee.”

In November, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported that Russia was more likely to “settle for extra danger by flying [the A-50s] nearer to the entrance line” to capitalise on the plane’s superior scanning talents. Russia’s MoD mentioned early final 12 months that that they had deployed an upgraded A-50U in Ukraine.

Navy sources informed Ukraine’s public broadcaster that the plane was hit close to the coastal village of Kyrylivka by the Sea of Azov, simply over 100 miles from the closest Ukrainian troopers. Footage revealed by Gen Zaluznhy, allegedly of the aircraft’s flight path, additionally confirmed the plane disappearing close to Kyrylivka.

The sources mentioned the aircraft was shot down shortly after taking off at 9.10pm native time. The Il-22 was allegedly hit 10 minutes later.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, when requested in regards to the strikes, mentioned he knew nothing of the reviews, however a lot of Russian navy bloggers spoke of the incident. Fighterbomber, believed to be a pilot within the Russian air power, described the incident as a “tragedy”.

He added: “We most probably is not going to know who’s guilty for the dying of the pilots.”

One other channel advised the aircraft that was hit was the RF-50610, which is an up to date A-50U, of which there are solely eight in existence, in line with Rob Lee, an professional on Russian defence coverage.

In the meantime, footage posted on Monday afternoon appeared to verify the injury sustained by the second Russian warplane.

Fighterbomber posted a photograph claiming to indicate the cut-up tailfin of the Ilyushin 22 command plane in an undisclosed location.

RBC-Ukraine, one other broadcaster, subsequently posted what they claimed was a radio intercept detailing the Il-22’s pilot talking to an airfield controller in Anapa, roughly 170 miles west of the place the plane was initially struck.

In the course of the intercept, the pilot might be heard calling for an ambulance and firefighters to satisfy them after touchdown.

It’s only the second IL-22 to be broken by Ukraine throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, in line with warfare tracker Oryx, although the Wagner Group destroyed one of many plane throughout its tried mutiny in Moscow final June. The Kremlin nonetheless denies this occurred.

Generally known as Airborne Protected Command Posts (APCPs), the IL-22s are used to coordinate Russian forces throughout a piece of the frontline. It’s believed there are roughly 30 in operation.