The Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that they shot down a Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft for the first time and also damaged an Il-22M airborne command post

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on this, but pro-Kremlin "war correspondents" confirm the losses

On the evening of January 14, Ukrainian media reported that the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft over the Sea of ​​Azov and destroyed an Il-22M11 airborne command post. Journalists cited sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Hromadske TV reported that the information was confirmed by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Later, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny announced that the planes had been shot down. He thanked the Air Force "for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov region."

According to Ukrainian media, the A-50 was hit on January 14 at around 21:10–21:15 local time (22:10–22:15 Moscow time) near Kyrylivka in the Zaporizhia region. The aircraft disappeared from radar and stopped responding to requests from tactical aviation. The Il-22M11 was presumably hit near Strelkove in the Kherson region at around 21:00 on the same day. RBC-Ukraine published what it claims is a radio intercept of a conversation between the Il-22M pilot and an airfield dispatcher in Anapa, during which he asked for an ambulance and firefighters to be called to the runway.

The A-50 is a Soviet and Russian airborne early warning and control aircraft . This model was built on the basis of the Il-76 heavy transport aircraft at the Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex together with the Vega-M Scientific and Production Association and the Institute of Instrument Making. It can find air, surface and ground targets (up to 60 at a time), and guide fighters or frontline aircraft to them. The exact number of A-50s in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces is unknown. The Military Watch Magazine publication, which the Agency drew attention to, said that in 2023, Russia had three A-50 aircraft and seven of its modifications, the A-50U. Early last year, Forbes wrote that the Russian troops had nine A-50s. In September 2023, Rostec handed over another such aircraft to the Russian army.

The Il-22 is an airborne command post designed to control troops. The Russian Armed Forces, as previously stated by the UK Ministry of Defence, have no more than 12 such aircraft.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not officially commented on the statements of Ukrainian media and the military. However, the information that one of the planes was shot down and the other damaged is confirmed by Russian "war correspondents" and pro-war bloggers. At the same time, they note that the Il-22, despite the damage, was able to land.

The Russian Defense Ministry-affiliated Telegram channel Rybar wrote on the evening of January 14 that if the information about the loss of the A-50 and the damage to the Il-22 is confirmed, it will be “another black day for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Air Defense.” He noted that there are “not many” A-50s, and “specialists on them are really rare.” According to Rybar, if an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew “will not be able to escape.” He also suggested that “the option of ‘friendly fire’ from the Russian air defense is by no means theoretically possible.”

The Telegram channel Fighterbomber, whose author is associated with the Russian Aerospace Forces, essentially confirmed the loss of the A-50. “A tragedy is always a tragedy. Especially when it is of such a scale. Whoever was there. Who is to blame for the deaths of the pilots, we will most likely never know. May the dead fly forever, and may the wounded recover and return to duty as soon as possible,” the blogger wrote .

On the afternoon of January 15, Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels published a photograph that allegedly showed a damaged Il-22. The photo shows that the plane has sustained multiple damages to its tail section. “The vertical stabilizer and stabilizer are badly damaged, large holes are visible in the rudder and elevator, and smaller ones are visible in the rear of the fuselage,” the BBC Russian Service notes .

Komsomolskaya Pravda "war correspondent" Aleksandr Kots stated that "there is a crashed A-50, there is a rescued Il-22." Pro-Russian blogger Yuri Podolyaka wrote : "About the A-50... Unfortunately, this is true."

The photo of the damaged Il-22was commented on by the spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat. "It looks like the Il-22 was dragged to Anapa. A tenacious bastard. But, as you can see, the trough is "not subject to restoration". Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the target is destroyed, resuscitation will not help," Ignat said. According to him, the priority target for the Ukrainian Air Force was the A-50. He added that "until today, the destruction of this aircraft seemed an impossible task for the Air Force."

The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin has no information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down Russian planes. "Then, after all, this is a topic that concerns the course of a special military operation," he said, asking the Russian Defense Ministry to clarify such information.

Sabotage with A-50 in Belarus

In late February 2023, Belarusian activists from BYPOL claimed to have carried out sabotage at the Machulishchi airfield near Minsk and dropped explosive devices equivalent to 200 grams of TNT from two drones on a Russian A-50 aircraft located there. As a result, the aircraft was allegedly badly damaged "and will no longer be able to fly." After the explosions, a large gathering of military personnel, including those with weapons, as well as ambulances and investigators, were seen at the airfield.

Belarusian authorities denied the sabotage, publishing a video showing an A-50 moving along the runway. It is not known when the video was filmed.

On March 4, the Zerkalo publication reported that the A-50 had flown to Taganrog for repairs. A journalist from the editorial office, posing as an employee of the Machulishchi airfield, called the reception of the Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex, where this information was confirmed to him.

Cover photo: Igor Zhorov / ddp / Vida Press