Blow for Putin as Kyiv shoots down £235m spy plane
Loss of the surveillance aircraft will severely hamper Moscow’s efforts, say Ukrainian officials
UKRAINIAN forces have destroyed a £235million Russian spy plane and badly damaged a second in a significant blow to Moscow’s air power.
The Russian Beriev A-50 long-range surveillance aircraft was shot down as it patrolled the Sea of Azov region late last week, while the Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post was forced into an emergency landing, Ukrainian sources said.
Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, told the
Financial Times: “The A-50 was shot down and it exploded.
“The Il-22 was badly damaged but, unfortunately for us, it managed to make an emergency landing in Anapa [a Russian town on the Black Sea coast].”
Gen Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, had earlier said that both aircraft had been “destroyed”.
“I am grateful to the air force for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov Sea region,” the army chief added.
Moscow has not commented on the claims. But the loss of the A-50 was confirmed by Fighterbomber, a prominent Russian military blogger with links to the country’s air force.
The pro-war Telegram channel shared an image on the social media platform of what it said was the damaged Il-22’s wing and rear after a strike.
“But as you can see, the wreck is beyond repair,” said Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian air force.
The Soviet-designed A-50, known as the “flying radar” and codenamed “Mainstay” by Nato, is an early-warning and control system used by Moscow to hunt down Ukrainian jets and missiles from up to 400 miles away.
The four-engined aircraft, which carries a crew of 15, can also use its rotating radar to detect ground targets for up to 186 miles.
British intelligence officials late last year said Moscow was likely upgrading its fleet in anticipation for the arrivals of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Any losses of the £235million aircraft are seen as “significant because Russia has a limited number of them”, according to Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
“There’s just eight A-50s in good condition,” Maj Gen Budanov said.
Russia was understood to have nine of the spy planes, but one was damaged in March last year when Ukrainian saboteurs attacked it with drones while it was parked at an airfield in Machulishchi, Belarus.
Some Russian military bloggers suggested the A-50 could have been downed by the Kremlin’s own air defences in a “friendly fire” incident, which have become increasingly common.
But since the arrival of the Us-made Patriot air defence system in Ukraine last year, Kyiv has carried out a series of successful strikes as part of a campaign to deny Russian aircraft access to its skies.
The loss of the A-50 will impact Moscow’s ability to co-ordinate military efforts “around the clock”, Maj Gen Budanov said.