Ukraine says it has downed the second Russian A-50 spy plane in weeks
Ukraine has reported shooting down a Russian A-50 military spy plane, marking the second such incident in just over a month.
According to Ukrainian military sources, the plane was targeted between the Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar, more than 200km (124 miles) from the front line.
Emergency services discovered plane debris in Kanevskoy district and managed to extinguish a raging fire.
Russia has not responded to the claim. The reported incident coincides with the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mykola Oleshchuk, head of Ukraine’s Air Force, credited his service and military intelligence for bringing down the long-range radar detection aircraft on Friday, noting that it occurred on a significant Russian military holiday, Defender of the Fatherland Day.
Footage circulated online depicts the moment the plane appears to be shot down and the subsequent eruption of flames and thick smoke.
Krasnodar’s emergency authorities confirmed an aircraft crash near Trudovaya Armenia village, Kanevskoy district, with the fire being extinguished, but provided no additional details.
Amid speculation, at least one Russian military-affiliated Telegram channel suggested the possibility of friendly fire causing the plane’s demise, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding the incident.
This marks Ukraine’s second claim of shooting down an A-50 since January 14th.
A previous briefing from the UK’s Ministry of Defence said that Russia probably had six operational A-50s in service.
The plane, which detects air defenses and coordinates targets for Russian jets, can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.
Ukraine has struggled to make significant advances against Russian forces in the south-east recently.
In last month’s incident, Ukrainian army officials said an Il-22 control center plane was destroyed as well as the A-50.
