The Ukrainian military said it shot down a Beriev A-50 over the Sea of Azov. It is an important and expensive aircraft. Russian bloggers write that the device was infected by the Russian military itself.
The A-50 is an aviation command center. It provides radar technology and controls combat aircraft. The Sea of Azov was completely in Russian hands.
“The A-50 with the call sign ‘Pagan’ made its last flight,” the Ukrainian Air Force wrote on Telegram. The message includes a video clip showing an explosion in the air.
Russian military bloggers confirm that an A-50 was shot down, but say it was due to Russian friendly fire. Russian state media writes about crashed planes in the Krasnodar region, a Russian region along the Sea of Azov. They don't write anything about the conditions or devices involved.
Ukrainian newspaper Independent Kyiv He says the Russian Air Force has fewer than ten aviation command centers. According to the newspaper, the cost of the A-50 is about 323 million euros.
In January, Ukraine also claimed to have shot down an A-50. Even then, Russian military bloggers wondered whether the planes had been hit by friendly fire.
