Russia deploys another A-50 plane over Sea of Azov to replace downed one - British intel

After Ukraine shot down a Russian A-50 radar long-range warning aircraft over the waters of the Sea of Azov, Russia has deployed another such plane, this time farther away from the borders of Ukraine.

That’s according to the UK Defense Ministry, referring to intelligence data, Ukrinform reports.

"On January 17, 2024, the Russian Air Force appears to have begun operating another A-50 MAINSTAY, but this time over land within Russian territory near the Krasnodar region, farther eastwards from Ukraine. Tis activity is highly likely indicative of a reduced risk appetite for the airframes and an attempt to preserve remaining A-50 MAINSTAY at a loss to its overall effectiveness over Ukraine," the ministry wrote.

It is noted that despite no official position from Russia on the loss of the MAINSTAY, such a decision by Moscow likely demonstrates a tacit Russian acknowledgement of a successful targeting operation by the Ukrainians against a high value air asset.

"If the loss of the MAINSTAY was an accident, then such a decision is unlikely to have been required," the report notes.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi had confirmed reports that the Ukrainian Air Force had downed a Russian A-50 radar long-range warning aircraft and seeriouslyu damaged an IL-22M airborne command plane over the Sea of Azov.

On January 14, first reports emerged across Telegram channels claiming the Ukrainian Air Force had downed the said aircraft.

Later, photos were posted on social media, purportedly showing the IL-22M plane, grounded at an unidentified airfield’s tarmac, with its tail part badly damaged by shrapnel caused by the strike.