Coup in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine: Rare Russian reconnaissance plane shot down
February 23, 2024, 8:49 pm Listen to the article
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A fireball over the Sea of Azov, a downed Russian reconnaissance plane – and confusion. First it is said that the Beriev A-50 U was removed from the sky by its own troops, then Ukraine claims the hits. This doesn't change the result: it's a big blow to Moscow.
The Ukrainian army claims to have shot down a Russian reconnaissance plane. “The A-50 with the call sign 'Bajan' completed its last flight,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his Telegram channel.
Earlier in the evening, there were reports that a Russian Beriev A-50U reconnaissance plane had been shot down. Well-known Russian military blogger Vladimir Romanov stated on his Telegram channel that the plane was shot down by its own military. According to his findings, the bombing came from the region around the city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. Russian troops occupied them at the end of May 2022, after a months-long siege. Since then it has been permanently under Russian control.
The Ukrainian army later complained the slaughtered over the Sea of Azov to himself. For a long time it was not clear where the wreckage of the plane fell to the ground. It now appears to be clear that it crashed in Russia's Krasnodar region, near the town of Trudovaya Armeniya.
Videos on social media show fireballs in the dark night sky and an explosion can be heard. Additional videos document a fire on the ground. It is said that these are the wreckage of the plane.
The Beriev A-50 is a reconnaissance aircraft developed in the Soviet Union in the late 1970s and entered service in the mid-1980s. Its job is to monitor airspace. An aircraft of this type is expected to cost the equivalent of 330 to 350 million US dollars. At least as serious as the financial loss is that of the crew. They receive special training and cannot be easily replaced.
At the beginning of 2023, the British “Guardian” reported that Russia had only six aircraft of this type. “Spiegel”, on the other hand, spoke of twelve Beriev A-50s in the ranks of the Russian Air Force. In mid-January 2024, an aircraft of this type would have been shot down over the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian military leadership also claimed responsibility for the shooting.