According to British information, after the second shooting down of a Russian Beriev A-50 reconnaissance aircraft within a short period of time, the planes remain on the ground for the time being. This will probably continue until the reasons for the loss can be clarified and the threat to the aircraft posed by Ukrainian air defense can be reduced, the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
“The loss of this ability to daily command and control Russian air operations will most likely lead to a significant deterioration in the situational awareness of aircrews,” it continued in London. “This is a capability gap that Russia can ill afford in the contested airspace of eastern and southern Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a week ago that the shooting down of the reconnaissance plane over southern Russia was the result of “cooperation with partners.” In mid-January, Ukraine shot down one of the early warning reconnaissance aircraft, which is packed with expensive electronics and staffed by specially trained experts.
To fill the gap left by the A-50s, Russia will likely have to use other aircraft alternatively and take more risks to provide the necessary air support for ground forces in Ukraine, the British ministry said. As soon as the machines are used again, the strain on material and personnel will increase because the fleet is overloaded. Russia may try to reuse decommissioned A-50 parts.
#Ukraine #live #ticker #Russia #Ukraine #attacks #Crimea #drones #FAZ