Ukraine claims to have shot down two Russian planes in a day, which could represent a kind of turning point in the war for several reasons. The Chief Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, announced that the Ukrainian Air Force has hit and knocked out two Russian aircraft considered of strategic importance: a reconnaissance plane A-50 and an airborne command post Il-22M.
The A-50 disappeared from radar after being hit in the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhya. An Il-22M11, a modern version of the Il-22M, is said to have been hit over the Sea of Azov and landed in the city of Anapa in southern Russia. The pilot reportedly requested an ambulance at the landing site, as reported by Rbc-Ukraine, citing allegedly intercepted radio messages.
The Kremlin has not provided any official information about the downing of the two planes. “No, we do not have this information,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to journalists, quoted by Tass. “However, this is a matter related to the special military operation,” the spokesperson added, urging to direct the question to the Ministry of Defense. No comment has been received from the Ministry of Defense.
Images circulated on Telegram and X profiles seem to confirm the Ukrainian version. Therefore, Kyiv seems to have achieved a significant result. The A-50, in particular, is an aircraft Moscow uses to detect enemy air defence systems and coordinate Russian jet attacks against specific targets.
It is not clear how Ukraine managed to shoot down the two planes. The possibility of friendly fire, already decisive in operations with disastrous effects for Russia, cannot be ruled out. However, Kyiv likely used Patriot missiles, as per the Western sources smarting after the Russian Hypersonic missile Kinzals destroyed the Patriots last year. This, however, would be possible only under one condition: the Patriots should have reached a position close to the target and thus the frontline along the southeastern front.
Among the hypotheses considered by Russian military bloggers, the intervention of foreign units, particularly British elements of the SAS special forces, cannot be excluded. Regardless of the operational details, the downing of the planes is an event that should not be underestimated. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia has only 6 A-50 aircraft, each costing about 300 million euros. Hitting one of these aircraft means undermining the strength of Moscow’s military presence in the Sea of Azov, weakening the entire apparatus revolving around Crimea.
Suppose the A-50 represented the “priority target” for the Ukrainian Air Force. In that case, the substantial damage to the Il-22 also assumes significant importance in this overall picture, as it was hit in the tail and rendered unusable. The last two targets claimed by Ukraine add to a series of hits in recent weeks. Kyiv has announced shooting down several Russian fighters, at least 8, since December 5th.
