KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian early warning and control aircraft on Friday, the air force chief said. He said this was a major victory for the country as its army struggled to repel sustained Russian attacks along the front at the start of the third year.
General Mykola Oleshchuk thanked Ukrainian military intelligence for helping to shoot down the Russian A-50 aircraft on Russia's military holiday on Friday. “Congratulations to the occupiers on Defender of the Fatherland Day,” Oleshchuk said sardonically.
Ukrainian media released footage purporting to show a massive fire that broke out when the large fighter jet crashed in the Krasnodar region on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov.
The Russian military did not comment on the Ukrainian claim, but emergency officials in the Krasnodar region reported that a plane crashed in the area without identifying it. Several Russian military bloggers confirmed the loss of the plane and some claimed it was shot down in a friendly fire incident.
If confirmed, the downing of the aircraft would mark the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month. Ukrainian officials said the country's military shot down an A-50 over the Sea of Azov on January 14. The Russian military never commented on the Ukrainian accusation, but Russian bloggers and some media outlets confirmed the plane's loss.
Ukrainian military intelligence said the A-50 was shot down over the Sea of Azov, describing it as “another serious blow to the potential and capabilities of terrorist Moscow.” It released a diagram purporting to show its flight path, noting that the Russian military had used the $350 million aircraft to carry out missile strikes on Ukraine.
Capable of detecting targets up to 650 kilometers (400 miles) away, the A-50 is an important command center aircraft that relays information to troops on the ground. Such aircraft are fundamental tools for controlling Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine.
The A-50, which carries a large radar on its top, typically has a crew of 15 people. The Russian Air Force reportedly has a fleet of just nine of these aircraft in service.
If the shooting down of the valuable Russian air base is confirmed, it will give Ukraine a major morale boost after the loss of Adviidka, a strategically important city in the east. It was captured by Russian forces last weekend after a bitter four-month battle in which they asserted their significant battlefield advantage in men, aircraft and artillery.
Emboldened by its first major war victory in nine months, Moscow appears determined to exploit its superiority as it shifts its economy to a state of war.
The shooting down of the Russian plane will certainly impress Ukraine's Western allies.
Kiev officials have asked Ukraine's Western partners to speed up the delivery of military assistance so their forces can withstand the attack. The more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line through eastern and southern Ukraine has changed little in the run-up to the war's two-year anniversary on February 24.