Ukraine claims to have shot down two Russian planes in a significant blow to Moscow

The Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian Beriev An-50 early warning and control aircraft and an Il-22 command center aircraft. A significant blow to the Kremlin armyUkrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said on Monday.

are planes Key tools to help organize Russian battlefield movements, Killing them in this nearly two-year-long war is a historic achievement for Ukraine, as fighting on the front lines has largely consisted of trench and artillery warfare.

Valery Zaluzhny did not say how the planes were shot down, but Ukraine received this information from its Western allies Modern and sophisticated anti-aircraft defense systems.

“I thank the Air Force for this “Completely planned and executed operation in the Sea of ​​Azov area”Zalujny, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, declared.

He also did not say where the interception took place, although he attached a video to his social media post showing an aircraft tracker Two targets disappearing over the Sea of ​​AzovWhich is located between Ukraine and Russia, north of the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.

When asked about this at a press conference, the Kremlin spokesman said that he could not comment due to lack of information on the subject.

“We have no information about it,” Dmitry Peskov said.That’s before mentioning the Russian Defense Ministry, which has been generally silent about its losses and failures since the start of the Russian invasion nearly two years ago, according to AFP.

Moscow did not make any official comment on this matter. Russian war bloggers said both aircraft were hit by friendly fire, although they offered no evidence of this. He said the Il-22 was damaged but landed successfully.

The A-50 is an early warning and control aircraft with a large radar capable of detecting aerial targets at ranges up to 650 kilometers (400 mi). It has a crew of 15 people. The Russian Air Force has a fleet of nine aircraft of this type.

In February 2023, an A-50 was damaged by a drone attack on the Belarus airspace where it was parked, but Russian and Belarusian officials said it had suffered only minor damage.

The Il-22 is an airborne command post, intended to monitor military operations and relay radio signals to troops at the front. Apparently, the Russian Air Force has a dozen aircraft of this type.