Ukraine has shot down a £274million Russian spy plane, it has been reported.

The aircraft was downed over the Sea of Azov on Sunday night, the RBC-Ukraine news agency cited a source in the armed forces as saying.

The Soviet-era A-50 uses radar to detect missiles and enemy aircraft and can also be used as an airborne command centre.

Russia was reported to have only eight operational A-50s left in its air force prior to Sunday’s incident.

Details about the weapons used to allegedly shoot down the plane have not yet emerged.

It was also reported that an Il-22M command and control aircraft was shot down over Strilkove, Kherson, on Sunday night.

A Russian A-50 based in Belarus was blown up in a partisan drone attack in February last year.

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