Russians Slam Own Air Defenses as 'Most Potent Threat' to Putin's Air Force

Russians have blamed their own air defenses for the reported loss of an A-50 surveillance aircraft over the Sea of Azov.

Pro-war Telegram channel Fighterbomber, which is believed to be affiliated with the Russian Air Force, published a lengthy post after Ukraine claimed to have downed an A-50 and damaged an Il-22M airborne command post on Sunday.

The Rybar Telegram channel, which has links to Russia's Defense Ministry, also said the aircraft could have been struck by "friendly fire."

The Kremlin has said it has no information on the claims. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the matter by Newsweek.

"According to my information, [Ukraine has] nothing to do with the loss of the A-50 aircraft," the Fighterbomber channel said. "And I really hope that this time the commission for the analysis of the disaster will not blame the pilots for weather reports…but the direct culprits of the tragedy."

The Telegram user claimed that 11 or 12 military pilots had been killed in similar incidents.

"In the [war], unfortunately, the worst and most potent threat for the Aerospace Forces has become our air defense," the post said, adding that "something needs to be done about this."

The A-50 is a Soviet-era reconnaissance aircraft used to prepare strikes and prevent enemy attacks; the loss of such an aircraft would be a huge blow. Each aircraft, which has a crew of 15, costs an estimated $330 million, reported Radio Svoboda, the Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing government data.

Russia's air force was believed to have 15 A-50s before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, per figures from the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft database. One was reportedly badly damaged by a drone in February 2023, in an attack claimed by Belarusian anti-government partisans.

Illia Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian journalist, said on X, formerly Twitter, that if confirmed, the loss of the A-50 on Sunday would mark "the biggest Ukrainian air victory of this war so far."

Military analyst Oleksii Kopytko has warned that Russian "military correspondents" are attempting to present the downing of the A-50 and the damage inflicted to the Il-22M aircraft as a case of "friendly fire" in order to "downplay the significance of what happened."

"But it only confirms that something really painful took place," said Kopytko on his social media channels.

"The Kremlin cannot allow the Russians to think about Ukraine's ability to shoot down scarce airplanes deep behind the front lines. Because this would have a strong demoralizing effect," he added. "Technical failure, as well as the military's negligence, is an organic explanation for the Russian Federation."

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