Ukrainian forces have shot down another Russian A-50 radar command aircraft over the Sea of Azov, confirmed Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.
“We greet Russians on Armed Forces Day! You should be celebrating at home!” Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.
???????? has shot down another Russian A-50 radar plane, confirmed ???????? Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. The valuable aircraft crashed across the Sea of Azov.
"We greet Russians on Armed Forces Day! You should be celebrating at home!" Oleshchuk wrote.
???? https://t.co/uRjDhFqJUo pic.twitter.com/KodudY2A4c
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 23, 2024
According to the Ukrainian outlet Liga.net, citing its sources, the operation was jointly conducted by Ukraine’s Air Force and Intelligence service.
Russian Telegram channels report the plane crashed in Russia’s Krasnodar krai. Witnesses in the village of Trudovaya Armeniya saw the burning aircraft go down. Sources tell the Ukrainska Pravda it occurred between the Russian cities of Yeysk and Krasnodar.
According to unconfirmed reports, ???????? forces have shot down another Russian A-50 aircraft, a highly valuable radar command plane that serves as Russia's "eye in the sky."
The plane allegedly crashed in Russia's Krasnodar region across the Sea of Azov.
???? https://t.co/USLwZMGneK pic.twitter.com/7x7XUY69Ke— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 23, 2024
The A-50 is a highly valuable radar command plane that serves as Russia’s “eye in the sky” guiding strikes on Ukraine.
This follows another Russian A-50 downed by Ukraine on 14 January over the Sea of Azov. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow had six such aircraft total. One was damaged in a helicopter attack in Belarus, and two have now been lost near the Azov Sea.
“These losses are extremely painful for Russia, and they have no absolute means to replenish them,” military analyst Yigal Levin wrote on Telegram.
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