The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down a Russian radar detection and surveillance aircraft over the Sea of Avoz. Russia did not comment on this announcement, but authorities in the Krasnodar region, close to Ukraine in the south of the country, indicated that rescue services were heading to the scene of an aircraft crash.
The Ukrainian air force said Friday evening that it had shot down a Russian radar detection and surveillance plane over the Sea of Azov, as Ukraine enters its third year of war weakened.
“A new serious blow to Moscow’s potential and capabilities”
Russia made no comment, but authorities in the Krasnodar region, close to Ukraine in the south of the country, said rescue services were heading to the scene of the plane crash. “Thanks to a joint intelligence operation of the Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Air Force, another valuable Russian A-50U aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov,” the ministry announced Ukrainian Defense.
“The in-flight destruction of the A-50U is another serious blow to Moscow’s potential and capabilities,” he added. The A50 is a device equivalent to the Awacs (Airborne warning and control system) of NATO countries. Both are easily recognizable by the large radar attached above their fuselage. According to figures from the private British intelligence company Janes, the Russians had ten older models and seven more modern ones (A-50U), recently renovated and in service.
AFP was not immediately able to verify this information. Videos on social media showed multiple flashes of bright light in the sky on a dark night, then a large fire in what appeared to be a rural area. Ukraine had already announced in January that it had shot down a plane of this type in the same area.