Ukrainian Military Claims Success In Destroying Russian-Owned Command And AWACS Aircraft

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian military said on Monday it had successfully destroyed a Russian Beriev A-50 reconnaissance aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-22 air command aircraft in the Azov Sea region, which was a blow to Russian military operations in the occupied region of southern Ukraine.

"Ukraine Air Force destroyed enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and enemy IL-22 air control centers," wrote Ukrainian Military Commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi on the Telegram messaging app.

"I thank the Air Force for the operations planned and carried out perfectly in the Azov Sea area!" he continued.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the statement. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Meanwhile, several Russian military bloggers said the crash would be a huge loss to the Russian air force, as the number of aircraft operating was limited.

"This is going to be a dark day for the Russian Air Force and Air Defense," wrote Rybar, a blogger with nearly 1.2 million subscribers supporting and commenting on Russia's war in Ukraine.

"The number of A-50s is not much. And specialists who operate it are generally rare. If this type of aircraft is shot, the crew will not be able to escape," he said.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense assesses the A-50 aircraft worth US$330 million. Kyiv's statement did not mention how the planes were destroyed.

It is known, Beriev A-50, which first started operating towards the end of the Soviet era, is a large Airline Early Warning and Control (AWACS) that can scan areas of several hundred kilometers to search for enemy aircraft, ships, and missiles.

It is unclear how many A-50s Russia has in its services. However, London-based IISS think tank said in a 2021 report that Russia has nine A-50 aircraft operating, including four modernized A-50U aircraft.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said earlier last year, the modernized A-50U had carried out missions during the war in Ukraine.

The plane, named Mainstay by NATO, can simultaneously detect more than 300 targets. It can detect and track missile launches at a distance of 800 kilometers (497 miles) and land and sea targets at a distance of 300 km.