- By Antoinette Radford
- BBC News
February 27, 2023 at 07:42 GMT
Updated 1 hour ago
Image source, Getty Images
picture description,
A Beriev A-50 early warning aircraft over Moscow (June 2020)
Belarusian opposition figures in exile say a Russian military plane was damaged in a drone strike near the capital Minsk.
Aliksandr Azarov, head of the Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, claimed responsibility for the attack on Telegram.
The Beriev A-50 early warning aircraft was hit by multiple explosions near the Machulishchy airbase.
It comes amid increased cooperation between Minsk and Moscow.
The strikes damaged front and middle parts of the plane, as well as its radar and antenna, BYPOL said on Telegram.
“These were drones. The participants in the operation are Belarusians,” said Mr. Azarov.
Speaking to the BBC, Franak Viacorka, an adviser to the Belarusian opposition leader, said the attack was “creative” and “sophisticated”.
“It was very brave because Belarusians are in a situation of total terror,” he told BBC News.
He added that the opposition party “definitely had local and military support” to damage the plane.
However, it is not possible to confirm the opposition’s account of what happened.
Both the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries have yet to publicly comment on the incident.
Separately, a prominent pro-Kremlin broadcaster, Tsargrad TV, confirmed a drone strike on the airbase but blamed it on the Ukrainian military. It also reported damage to the A-50, but gave no specific details.
A Russian air defense expert, Yuri Knutov, told the channel that for some reason the airbase was not protected by Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft missiles. He described the A-50 as an airborne command center used to direct Russian airstrikes.
BYPOL, the Belarusian group that claimed responsibility for the strike on the plane, is made up of former law enforcement officials who are now opposed to President Alexander Lukashenko’s office.
It has been classified as a terrorist organization by Mr Lukashenko’s government.
While Belarus was not directly involved in the war in Ukraine, Mr Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine via Belarus.
The two countries have also participated in joint military training exercises in recent months.