Russia may have to “limit the operational areas of its aircraft” after Ukraine’s air force claimed to have shot down a military spy plane, the Ministry of Defence has said.
An A-50 long range radar detection aircraft exploded and crashed into the western Sea of Azov on Sunday, British intelligence has confirmed.
In an update on Wednesday, the UK’s Defence Intelligence said that it is “significant” that Ukraine may have successfully targeted the spy plane.
An Il-22 air control centre craft was also reportedly damaged but landed in a nearby Russian airfield.
The planes are key tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “The possible successful targeting of an A-50 Mainstay by Ukraine is significant.
“It is likely that Russia will now be forced to reconsider limiting the operational areas of its aircraft. The A-50 is critical to the Russian air surveillance picture over the battlespace.”
The Russian Air Force has eight A-50 aircrafts but the British intelligence said the loss of the crew and increased stress put on the remaining planes could restrict longer term missions.
Kyiv’s military chief said the downing of the two planes was a significant blow to Russian air power on Monday.
General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, did not say how the planes were brought down, but Ukraine has received sophisticated air defence systems from its Western allies.
There was no immediate official comment from Moscow.
Pro-Kremlin war bloggers claimed both planes had come under friendly fire, but presented no evidence of that.
The A-50, which is topped with a large radar, typically carries a crew of 15.
A February 2023 drone attack at an airfield in Belarus damaged a parked A-50, but Russian and Belarusian officials described the damage as minor.
The UK at the weekend announced £2.5bn of military aid to Ukraine over the coming year.
It is the UK's largest annual commitment since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
