Great news for Ukraine: rare Il-22 aircraft destroyed during coup attempt in Russia
Il-22 aircraft was destroyed during coup attempt in Russia (t-me-yigal)
During the uprising of Wagner's private military company chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia, a valuable and rare Il-22 aircraft was destroyed. There are no more than ten such aircraft within Russia, as Spokesperson of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ihnat said in an interview with Radio NV.
"During the failed attempt by militants from the Wagner Group, led by leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, to 'march on Moscow,' the Il-22 aircraft was destroyed in Russia, and this was the first case of such aviation being eliminated," Ihnat said.
He added that the Il-22 had already been hit by our Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles, but it was only damaged. "It returned to the base then, being shredded, and it was restored. The Il-22 works together with the A-50 aircraft," he said, adding that such an A-50 had been attempted to be blown up with a drone by partisans in Belarus. "They (A-50) always fly in the south of Ukraine, in the Azov and Black Seas, monitoring our radar facilities located in Ukraine," he said.
According to Ihnat, two combat helicopters (one Mi-type and one Ka-52), one military transport helicopter Mi-8, and another electronic warfare Mi-8 being used to make obstacles were destroyed. The latter, according to his words, is very valuable for the Russian army, and there are "not so many" helicopters like that in Russia.
The spokesperson for the Air Force said that the destruction of the Il-22 is "good news" for Ukraine. "Each destroyed piece of equipment, both helicopters, and aircraft, is good news for Ukraine. It creates problems for the occupiers. Plus, don't forget about the pilots. They are the most valuable asset, and you can't train a pilot easily," he said.
Prigozhin's uprising
The uprising of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was the peak of his conflict with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after allegedly the Russian military struck a rear camp of mercenaries. Not reaching Moscow by 200 km, Prigozhin announced the cessation of his "march on Moscow" after negotiations with the head of the Belarusian regime, Alexander Lukashenko.
During the coup attempt, Wagner mercenaries destroyed several units of Russian aviation in one day. In particular, An-24 aircraft was shot down in the Voronezh region of Russia.
