A-50 Aircraft Destruction: Russia Partially Curtails Operations Over Sea Of Azov

ISW unveiled the consequences of the unique aircraft liquidation.

After the Ukrainian Defense Forces (destroyed the Russian A-50 early warning aircraft) on January 14 and caused serious damage to the Il-22 air command post, the Russian Federation, according to some reports, decided to curtail some of the tactical aviation operations in the Azov Sea region. The opportunities for such operations have diminished.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes about this in a report dated January 16.

Speaker of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, said on January 16 that the presence of Russian tactical aviation over the Sea of Azov is currently at a lower level than ever before.

According to Ihnat, the A-50 and Il-22 aircraft helped the Russian Armed Forces find air targets at a distance of up to 600 kilometers and transmitted information in real time to Russian control points in Ukraine.

Ihnat noted that such monitoring allowed Russian tactical aviation to see Ukrainian aircraft from afar and increased the effectiveness of tactical aviation operations.

The “Pivden” Operational Command reported that until January 14, 2024, the Russian Armed Forces had only three A-50 aircraft and six modernized A-50U aircraft.

Ihnat said that the destruction of one of these rare aircraft would reduce Russia's operational capabilities to some extent. Ihnat also said that serious damage to the Il-22 aircraft put it out of action, but, most likely, the Russian Armed Forces will replace both the destroyed A-50 and the damaged Il-22.

These losses will not affect the intensity of Russian missile and drone attacks, since missiles and drones are aimed at targets along predetermined routes from ground positions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on January 16 that Ukraine needs the same superiority in the air as in the Black Sea after the attacks on Russian naval facilities.

Pro-war Russian online public pages reported that more than 10 pilots could have died in the crash of the A-50 radar aircraft.

It was also reported that the Il-22 and A-50 could have been shot down by stray ammunition.