In a shocking turn of events, Russian forces have accidentally shot down their own £275 million spy plane over occupied Ukraine, as reported by pro-Kremlin military bloggers. The Beriev A-50 Soviet-built plane crashed near the Sea of Azov after being hit by a missile fired from Mariupol, a Ukrainian city captured by Russian forces in 2022.
Videos uploaded by blogger Vladimir Romanov show air defence missiles targeting the plane and the alleged crash site, with a commentator describing a “huge explosion.” This incident marks the second A-50 spy plane that Russia has lost in just over a month, with the first one being shot down by Ukraine in January.
While Ukrainian commanders claim responsibility for shooting down the A-50, Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber argues that it was too far from the frontline for Ukrainian air defenses to have struck it. The Russian ministry of defense has not yet released any official statements regarding the incident.
These A-50 planes are crucial for providing military commanders with visibility over the battlefield, and Russia allegedly only had nine of them to start with. Well-connected Russian military bloggers have been known to criticize military commanders and leak sensitive information. In fact, a military blogger reportedly took his own life after being pressured to delete posts that revealed the deaths of 17,000 Russian soldiers during the capture of Avdiivka—a statement that angered the Russian ministry of defense.
As tensions continue to escalate in the region, the shooting down of their own spy plane serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and risks involved in modern warfare.
