Asked about this during a press briefing, a Kremlin spokesman could not say anything. “We have no information on this”, Dmitry Peskov said, before referring to the Russian Defense Ministry, which has generally remained silent on its losses since the start of the Russian offensive.
“I thank the Air Force for this perfectly planned and executed operation in the region of the Sea of Azov! », Valery Zalozhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, reacted. According to kyiv, the A-50, an AWACS-equivalent radar and airborne command plane used by NATO, crashed in the Sea of Azov. Another aircraft, an Il-22 serving as a command post, was hit but managed to land in Anapa, southern Russia, but the damage is so severe that it is considered “destroyed,” according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat.
“It cannot be ‘repaired’,” he said, sharing a photo of the severely damaged plane.
A hard blow to Moscow
AFP has been unable to verify these claims from the Ukrainian side. Yuri Ignat added that the plane was “on fire” and its crew were “injured”. These aircraft are used for intelligence, target identification and troop coordination.
Some generally well-informed Russian military bloggers are vague about the incidents involving the A-50 and IL-22, but have confirmed losses and damage. The Telegram channel WarGonzo was moved by “the death of our fighters” in relation to the A-50, and also claimed that the second aircraft appeared to be able to “land” despite being damaged.
The Rybar channel, close to and widely followed by the Russian military, spoke of a “black day” for the Russian Air Force on Sunday evening “if the information is confirmed”.
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