Russian air defense forces have repeatedly shot down their own aircraft, probably due to a lack of situational awareness and coordination in the Russian armed forces. This is stated in a new report by British intelligence, UNN reports.
The British intelligence service recalled that on March 28 , an SU-27 aircraft was shot down by Russian air defense in Crimea. At the time, the illegally appointed so-called "governor" of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said that there was a technical malfunction and that the pilot survived.
Prior to that, on March 24, Ukraine launched strikes on targets in Sevastopol and the Black Sea Fleet. The attacks, according to intelligence, put local Russian air defense on high alert.
British intelligence noted that there have been unconfirmed reports of Russian air defense accidentally shooting down its own aircraft.
There is a real possibility that, rather than a technical problem, heightened tensions among Russian air defense operators caused by fear of further Ukrainian action are causing them to inadvertently target their own pilots and aircraft
It is also noted that this case and others like it probably emphasize "the lack of situational awareness and coordination in the Russian armed forces, and demonstrate the consequences of Ukraine's actions.