Ukraine claims to shoot down 2 Russian command-and-control aircraft

The chief of Ukraine’s armed forces said Monday the military shot down a sophisticated Russian A-50 command-and-control aircraft (like the one pictured here) over the Sea of Azov, as well as an Il-22M airborne command post and electronic intelligence aircraft.

Jan. 15 (UPI) — The Ukrainian military on Monday laid claim to destroying a pair of Russian aircraft over the Sea of Azov, including an A-50 early warning and control aircraft, which could mark a significant blow against the Kremlin.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in a Telegram post that in addition to the A-50, Ukraine shot down an Il-22M airborne command post and electronic intelligence aircraft.

“Soldiers with the Ukrainian Air Force destroyed the enemy’s A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and Il-22 airborne command post,” Zaluzhnyi wrote while thanking the Ukrainian Air Force for an “excellently planned and conducted operation” in the Azov region.

Zaluzhnyi’s post confirmed reports from Ukrainian media indicating the strategic Russian aircraft were destroyed.

The Ukrainian news outlet RBC reported Monday it had obtained a transcript of the II-22M’s communication with a dispatcher at an airport in Anapa, Russia, in which the pilot requested an emergency landing as well as ambulance and firefighting services.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he had “no information” about the Ukrainian claims.

Russian military bloggers monitored by the BBC wrote that if confirmed, the destruction of the command-and-control aircraft would mark a “black day” in the Kremlin’s war against its neighbor.

Air defense specialist Justin Bronk told the broadcaster the loss of an A-50 would be a “highly operationally significant and embarrassing loss” for Russia’s air force, describing it as a “key command, control and surveillance platform” providing the Russian military with a “long range early warning and target information about Ukrainian low-flying aircraft.”

Moscow, he added, has “only a small number” of the aircraft, meaning the destruction of one “would be a major blow.”

The Ukrainian claims come as the country’s efforts to take back territory illegally occupied by invading Russian forces has stalled for the winter and Moscow has launched a series of massive missile strikes against Ukrainian territory during the first weeks of the new year.