2 Russian command and control aircraft shot down, claims Ukraine

According to Ukraine’s military chief on Monday, the Ukrainian air force dealt a serious blow to the forces of the Kremlin when it shot down a Russian early warning and control plane, which is capable of spotting targets up to 650 kilometers (400 miles) away, as well as a vital command center aircraft.

The aircraft are essential instruments in the Russian military’s coordination of its operations in Ukraine. Since trench and artillery warfare has dominated front-line fighting for the majority of the nearly two-year conflict, shooting them down, if verified, would be a historic victory for Ukraine.

Russia has essentially guaranteed its air superiority throughout the conflict, with Ukraine battling Moscow’s more contemporary aircraft with its fleet of Soviet-era warplanes.

The head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, did not disclose the location of the interceptions, but he did share a video on social media featuring an airplane tracker that showed two targets vanishing over the Azov Sea, which is located between Russia and Ukraine, north of the Black Sea and the Crimea Peninsula.

Moscow did not immediately provide an official statement. Russian war bloggers claimed, without providing any supporting evidence, that both planes had been hit by friendly fire. Despite being damaged, they said, the Il-22 made a successful landing.

The Il-22 is an airborne command station. It transmits radio signals to soldiers on the front lines and supervises military activities. There are supposedly twelve of these aircraft in the Russian air force.

Ukraine is keen to demonstrate to its allies in the West how proficiently it can use the cutting-edge weaponry it has been granted.

Prior to addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern later on Monday.

Fearing that the war is losing priority in the eyes of the world community, Ukrainian officials are working hard to keep the world focused on the fight.

The head of the United Nations’ humanitarian department, Martin Griffiths, admitted that “the competition for funding is getting greater” due to crises in other places, such as the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Russia, on the other hand, was hoping to strengthen its relationship with North Korea, whose foreign minister arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit.

Restocking its arsenal of weaponry is a top priority for the Kremlin. It has recently started sourcing goods from North Korea and Iran.

The United States and its allies have claimed that Pyongyang has likely sent Russia a variety of missiles to bolster its conflict in Ukraine in addition to the publicly publicized shipments of shells and ammunition.

(With agency inputs)