The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
By: CNN
On Monday, Ukraine declared that it had successfully destroyed a Russian spy plane over the Sea of Azov, marking a substantial blow to Moscow’s aerial capabilities. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, initially announced on Telegram that two aircraft, including an enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an enemy IL-22 air control center, were eliminated by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a meticulously planned and executed operation in southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Forces referred to the special operation in the Azov Sea region as “successful” in an official statement. Reports about the downing of two Russian military aircraft emerged on social media late on Sunday. While Moscow has not confirmed the loss of the aircraft, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refrained from commenting on the reports and directed inquiries to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which had not responded to CNN’s request for comment at the time of reporting.
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, later revealed on Facebook that one of the targeted Russian planes managed to make a landing but seemed “beyond repair.” He emphasized the significance of destroying the A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft, which had been a priority target for the Air Force.
The Sea of Azov, situated north of Crimea, serves as a dividing line between Ukraine and Russia. The A-50, a Soviet-era spy plane, is designed for detecting and reporting the coordinates and movements of enemy objects.
Earlier in the month, the Institute for the Study of War reported, citing Russian military bloggers, that Russia had increased sorties of A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft due to the perceived threat of Ukrainian strikes against Russian military infrastructure in Crimea.
An alleged audio recording provided by a Ukrainian intelligence source purportedly captures an intercept from a nearby Russian fighter jet requesting urgent assistance for the damaged IL-22 to ground control for an emergency landing. CNN, however, cannot independently verify the authenticity of the audio recording.
