Downing of Russian A-50 and Il-22 aircraft could delay missile strikes, Ukrainian military says
Photo: Spokeswoman of the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine Natalia Humeniuk (Getty Images)
The damage and downing of Ukrainian Defense Forces' aircraft, including the A-50 radar detection plane and the Il-22 airborne command post, by Russian occupiers over the Azov Sea may delay future missile strikes by the aggressors, reports the spokeswoman of the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine, Natalia Humeniuk.
"We confirm the downing of two aircraft, and not just ordinary aircraft, but those on which respective command centers were deployed," notes the colonel.
The spokesperson explains that the A-50 aircraft essentially served as the eyes of the enemy because, with the help of "this specific machine and equipment that facilitated its operations," the occupiers observed the territory of Ukraine, and the aircraft was carrying out the "guidance for powerful missile strikes."
"It was through the A-50 that the situation with future targets was maximally revealed. Therefore, we can expect that such a strike will be quite sensitive and at least delay future missile strikes," says Humeniuk.
Downing of A-50 and Il-22 Russian aircraft
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine, according to sources in the Defense Forces, reported that on the evening of January 14, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the Russian A-50 aircraft over the Azov Sea and damaged the Il-22.
On January 15, the commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk, hinted at the destruction of Russian aircraft, calling this operation a retaliation against the occupiers for the missile strike on the Dnipro on January 14, 2023. Later in the day, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, officially confirmed the destruction of two aircraft.
Later in the day, the spokesperson for the Air Forces, Yurii Ihnat, reported that the Russian Il-22 aircraft, shot down by Ukrainian forces on January 14 over the Azov Sea, could have reached an airfield. However, it is not subject to recovery.
It is also worth noting that Russia may have 9 units of the A-50, but not all of them are operational.
Read more about the significance of destroying the A-50 and the uniqueness of this operation in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
