Ukrainian Armed Forces and HUR shot down another Russia’s prized A-50 AWACS aircraft and Su-34 jet in joint operation
Another of Russia’s prized A-50 Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, call sign Bayan (Accordion), was shot down by Ukrainian Air Force over the Sea of Azov some 170 km from the front line at 7:15 p.m. EET on Feb. 23.
Russian propagandists initially claimed that the plane was hit by friendly fire, but this was later refuted by the statement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) about a successful joint operation.
“This is an airborne command post used by the aggressor state for long-range radar detection, control and guidance of attacks on Ukraine with missiles from strategic aviation,” HUR wrote, adding that it was a new, modernized version of the A-50U worth $350 million.
In the audio intercept released by HUR, the crew of the Russian Su-35 (Kashalot-583) cover plane reports that they observed air defenses, a flash and explosions.
“First the flash, then the explosions!”
One of the videos posted on Russian Telegram channels also shows the plane releasing heat traps in an attempt to avoid being hit.
Read also: Ukraine downs three Russian jets in morning skirmish
The A-50U crashed near the village of Trudova Armenia located on the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, the GeoConfirmed OSINT project reported after analyzing numerous videos of the crash site posted on Russian Telegram channels.
The plane was shot down by a Soviet-made S-200 air defense system with a range of up to 240 km, sources within HUR told NV’s sister publication Ukrainska Pravda late on Feb. 23.
The range of destruction “exceeds the capabilities of even the so-called roving Patriot”, since the known range of the GEM-T anti-aircraft missile does not exceed 160 km, Defense Express wrote the same evening, adding that a logical additional distance of at least to the artillery fire range from the frontline should be added to count the actual range of the missile that shot down the plane.
Ten bodies of the A-50U crew were found at the crash site, according to Russian public media reports.
Amid reports of the A-50U crash, the US-funded Radio Liberty and the Russian Telegram channel Krymskiy Veter reported a possible crash of another Russian Su-34 fighter jet near Henichesk in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast. It disappeared from radars after firing a missile at a target in Ukraine.
Kremlin propaganda outlets also reported the crash of “two planes,” citing the operational headquarters of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.
“The destruction of Russian planes and enemies is a great honor,” Ukrainian military commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on Telegram late on Feb. 23.
Read also: Young officers and colonel were on board downed Russian A-50 AWACS plane, Ukrainian Air Force says
This is the second Russian A-50 Ukrainian forces have managed to destroy since the beginning of 2024. On Jan. 14, an A-50 aircraft was downed in the same area—over the Sea of Azov. An Il-22 airborne command post plane was also damaged in the same operation, but it managed to land at a Russian airfield later. The Ukrainian military said the Il-22 was “beyond repair.”
Ukraine shot down seven Russian fighter jets within the past seven days, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Seven combat aircraft – Russian ‘Su’ jets – were shot down in a week,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Feb. 21.
Russia has lost 339 aircraft since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian General Staff reported the same day.
On Feb. 21, the BBC reported that Russia had lost at least 216 military pilots since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, including at least 62 killed in action.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
