Several young officers, as well as a colonel, were on board the downed Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) plane and the damaged IL-22 airborne command post, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on national television on Jan. 22.
The Ukrainian Air Force is responsible for downing a Russian airborne early warning and control A-50 aircraft, as well as an Il-22M11 airborne command post, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, officially confirmed on Telegram on Jan. 15.
The destruction of the A-50 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft will likely be a significant blow to the Russian Air Force operations around southern Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Financial Times on Jan. 15.
The Kremlin has yet to comment on the downing of two Russian warplanes over the Sea of Azov, despite Ukrainian confirmation of the event, Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti noted on Telegram on Jan. 15.
The destruction of a Russian A-50 in the skies over the Sea of Azov on Jan. 14 was the first-ever documented downing of an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in history, Ukrainian military news outlet Defense Express reported on Jan. 15.