Photos of the shelled russian Il-22 aircraft were posted online on January 15. As reported by The Moscow Times, the kremlin has refused to provide comments on the downing of the Il-22 and A-50 radar aircraft due to a lack of information.
Earlier, it was known that the damaged Il-22M had requested an emergency landing in Anapa. There is no information about the crashed A-50.
These aircraft are among the most valuable assets in the arsenal of the russian Aerospace Forces. They operate in tandem, with the A-50 detecting and tracking airborne targets over almost the entire territory of Ukraine, while the Il-22 provides additional processing and relay of data.
As reported, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny thanked the Air Force for a "well-planned and conducted operation in the Azov Sea region".