After the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed the russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft , moscow is being much more cautious about replacing it. This is stated in an intelligence report released by the British Ministry of Defense, UNN reports .
Details
On January 17, 2024, the russian air force appears to have started operating another A-50 aircraft, but this time over russian land territory near the Krasnodar region, east of Ukraine
Analysts believe that this indicates a decrease in russia's willingness to risk the aircraft and an attempt to preserve the remaining A-50s despite their declining effectiveness.
Addendum
The agency also added that this once again supports Ukraine's claim that the plane was shot down. The intelligence officials explained that if the loss of the A-50 had been an accident, russia would not have tightened security measures so much.
Despite the absence of russia's official position on the loss of the A-50, such activity demonstrates Russia's tacit recognition of the successful operation conducted by Ukrainians against a high-value object
Recall
On January 14, it was reported that the Ukrainian military had shot down two aircraft, an A-50 and an Il-22, which were in the waters of the Sea of Azov.
Subsequently, on January 15, the destruction of the planes was confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny.
In particular, he shared a clip from a radar screen showing planes disappearing over the sea and thanked the Air Force for "a perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov region."