The Ukrainian military shot down two Russian command planes in one of the most disastrous days for Kremlin airpower since Putin’s all-out invasion.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the Ukrainian Air Force destroyed an A-50 long-range radar detector and an Il-22 control center aircraft. Both planes were flying over the Sea of Azov at 9:10 pm local time on Sunday.
The A-50, which was responsible for detecting air defense systems and coordinating the targeting of Russian jets, crashed immediately, killing its entire crew. The heavily damaged Il-22 appears to have made an emergency landing at an airfield in Anapa, Russia.
It is unclear how Ukraine successfully targeted and shot down these aircraft. One theory is that U.S.-supplied Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries were used. However, this requires moving the system closer to the front line where it can be detected.
Russian officials said they had “no idea” what exactly happened. Pro-Kremlin bloggers said the planes were hit by friendly fire or even shot down by a team of British SAS operatives using surface-to-air missiles.
Regardless of the cause, the incident was a blow to the Russian aviation industry and a boost to the morale of the Ukrainian armed forces. Kiev’s counteroffensive failed last year, and in recent months Russia has launched a wave of attacks east along the frozen front in an attempt to regain the initiative.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, the Kremlin has only six active A-50s. Each aircraft costs $330 million to build. Last February, Belarusian partisans attacked another A-50 at an air base near Minsk. It’s unclear how much damage they caused.
Since last year, Ukraine has systematically damaged Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, targeting radar stations and other facilities. It bombed the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the port of Sevastopol and forced naval ships to move to safer ports.
Kiev now appears to be challenging Russia’s control of the Sea of Azov, including the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol captured in 2022. Zaluzhny said in a statement on Monday that two Russian planes were destroyed in what he called “a well-planned and executed operation.” “Operation” takes place in the south of the country.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said the Il-22 aircraft was severely damaged beyond repair. He added that the A-50 spy plane was “our priority target.” Unconfirmed images on social media showed the Il-22’s tail apparently riddled with shrapnel damage.
Multiple channels are sharing photos of the tail of a severely damaged aircraft at Russia’s Anapa Airport, which may be an IL-22M. I believe this to be true, including the potential location of the buildings in the background, but this has not been confirmed. pic.twitter.com/cvCgeQTXcv
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) January 15, 2024
Russia has suffered a series of embarrassing setbacks for its aging Soviet-era air force fleet in recent weeks. Last week, Ukrainian intelligence agencies said they planned an attack on a Su-24 jet parked at an air base outside the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. It was burned down. A teenager was later arrested.
In December, Russia’s own air defenses shot down a Russian Su-25 jet. Earlier that month, Ukraine destroyed a Su-24M bomber.
Ukrainian commentators reacted with glee to the news, which dominated social media channels on Monday. Illia Ponomarenko, former defense reporter for the Kyiv Independent simply wrote: “Confirmed by the Ukrainian command. The largest air strike in the war so far.”
The Ukrainian Air Force jokingly hinted that there was more to come. It posted a picture of two downed planes with the message: “Who did this?”
