In a significant strike against Moscow's aerial capabilities, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed a Russian spy plane over the Sea of Azov on Monday. Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi initially announced the attack on Telegram, stating that an enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an IL-22 air control center were destroyed in a perfectly planned and executed operation.

The Ukrainian Air Forces referred to the special operation in the Azov Sea region as "successful" in a statement. Reports of the downing of two Russian military aircraft by Ukrainian forces first emerged on social media late on Sunday, but Moscow has not yet confirmed the loss. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not provided a comment as of now.

Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, stated in a Facebook post that one of the targeted Russian planes managed to make a landing but seemed beyond repair. He emphasized that the A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft was a priority target for Ukraine and its destruction was believed to be an impossible task until now.

The Sea of Azov is a body of water that separates Ukraine and Russia at the northeastern tip of the Black Sea, just north of Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. According to reports from the Institute for the Study of War, Russia had recently increased sorties of A-50 spy planes due to the perceived threat of Ukrainian strikes against Russian military infrastructure in Crimea.

The A-50 is a Soviet-era spy plane designed to detect and track enemy objects, providing crucial information about their coordinates and movements.

An audio recording allegedly intercepted from a nearby Russian fighter jet provided insight into the incident. The recording purportedly captured a distress call from the damaged IL-22 to ground control, requesting immediate assistance for an emergency landing in Anapa and urgently requiring an ambulance and firefighters.

As of now, Russia has not officially acknowledged the destruction of the spy plane. The incident marks a significant escalation in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, highlighting the ongoing conflict in the region.

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