• Ukraine claims to have shot down a Russian military spy plane over the Sea of Azov.
• The A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an Il-22 air control center were destroyed.
• The A-50 is crucial for detecting air defenses and coordinating targets for Russian jets.

Ukraine’s military claims to have shot down a Russian military spy plane over the Sea of Azov, dealing a blow to Moscow’s air power, according to Army chief Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

He stated that the Air Force had “destroyed” an A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an Il-22 air control center. The A-50, responsible for detecting air defenses and coordinating targets for Russian jets, is a crucial element in Russia’s air capabilities. Despite the UK Ministry of Defence’s report on Russia’s likely operation of six A-50s, the BBC has been unable to verify the attack.

Russian officials claim to have “no information” about the attacks, while pro-war Russian commentators acknowledge the potential significance of losing an A-50. Russian “friendly fire” reportedly hit the Il-22 command center, which managed to land back in Russia.

Gen Zaluzhnyi, on Telegram, praised Ukraine’s air force for an “excellently planned and conducted” operation in the Azov region.

Ukrainian Air Force commander:

Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk commented on the aircraft’s downing in a Telegram post without providing details. In a previous incident in February, Belarusian opposition group BYPOL had claimed to have damaged an A-50 military plane in a drone attack near Minsk.

Justin Bronk, an air war specialist from the defense think tank Rusi, emphasized that if confirmed, the loss of an A-50 would be a “highly operationally significant and embarrassing loss” for Russia’s air force. He described the A-50 as a “key command, control, and surveillance platform” providing Russian aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems with “long-range early warning and target information about Ukrainian low-flying aircraft.”

He added that “only a small number” of these aircraft were within the Russian air force, and “even fewer trained mission crews, meaning that the loss of one would be a major blow”.

If confirmed, he said it would “be a very long-range engagement” for Ukrainian Patriot air defense missiles, which would stretch “the theoretical capabilities of the weapon to their limit”.

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