Ukraine claims it downed one other Russian early warning and management aircraft in a serious blow to Moscow

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces downed a Russian early warning and management plane Friday, the air power chief mentioned, a serious win for the nation as its military fights to repel persistent Russian assaults alongside the entrance line as the war enters its third 12 months.

Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk thanked Ukraine’s navy intelligence for serving to down the Russian A-50 plane on Russia’s navy vacation Friday. “Congratulations to the occupiers on the Defender of the Fatherland day,” Oleshchuk mentioned on a sardonic observe.

Ukrainian media carried footage purportedly exhibiting a large fireplace that erupted when the large warplane crashed within the Krasnodar area on the jap coast of the Sea of Azov.

The Russian navy did not touch upon the Ukrainian declare, however emergency officers within the Krasnodar area reported {that a} aircraft crashed within the space with out figuring out it. A number of Russian navy bloggers confirmed the aircraft’s loss and a few alleged that it was downed in a pleasant fireplace incident.

If confirmed, the aircraft’s downing would mark the lack of the second such plane in simply over a month. Ukrainian officers mentioned the nation’s navy downed an A-50 over the Sea of Azov on Jan. 14. The Russian navy by no means commented on the Ukrainian declare, however Russian bloggers and a few media confirmed the plane’s loss.

The A-50, which is able to recognizing targets as much as 650 kilometers (400 miles) away, is a key command heart plane that relays data to troops on the bottom. Such planes are basic instruments in serving to direct Russian battlefield actions in Ukraine.

The A-50, which carries a big radar on its high, usually has a crew of 15. The Russian air power reportedly has been working a fleet of solely 9 such plane.

If the downing of the dear Russian air asset is confirmed, it’s going to function a serious ethical increase for Ukraine after the lack of Adviidka, a strategic jap metropolis. It was captured by Russian forces final weekend after a ferocious four-month battle wherein they dropped at bear their significant battlefield advantage in men, aircraft and artillery.

Emboldened by its first main triumph in the war in nine months, Moscow seems decided to leverage its superiority as it shifts its economy onto a struggle footing.

The Russian aircraft’s downing may even be sure to impress Ukraine’s Western allies.

Kyiv officers have pleaded with Ukraine’s Western companions to speed up supply of navy support so its forces can maintain out in opposition to the onslaught. The entrance line working greater than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) throughout jap and southern Ukraine has not shifted a lot within the run-up to the struggle’s two-year anniversary on Feb. 24.