Russia cannot now produce A-50 radar planes – Ukraine's intelligence representative

Thursday, 2 March 2023, 18:51

Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, has said that Russia cannot currently produce A-50 AWACS aircraft, one of which was probably damaged at the Belarusian Machulishchy airbase. 

Source: Yusov on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "There are different modifications. There were about 10 different modifications of similar aircraft. The difference is not how many there are but the ability to produce them.

As of today, the degraded industry of the Russian Federation is incapable of producing new, similar aircraft with similar tasks."

Details: An intelligence official believes that foreign suppliers are responding to the threat of secondary sanctions.

In addition, cooperation with Putin's Russia is becoming toxic, undesirable, and dangerous.

Background: 

  • On 26 February, explosions occurred at the Machulishchy airbase in Belarus in the morning. Later, there was information that a Russian A-50 military aircraft was damaged.
  • Alexander Azarov, Head of the BYPOL initiative, reported that Belarusian partisans were involved in sabotage at the Machulishchy airbase in Belarus. According to Azarov, the participants of the alleged sabotage in Machulishchy had left Belarus and are now safe.
  • Later, the media published satellite photos of the plane before and after the incident.
  • Journalists, comparing satellite photos, concluded that dark spots appeared on the wings of the aircraft after the incident. At the same time, they could not confirm the damage to the plane, as the spots could be just a visual effect caused, for example, by snow on the surface of the wings.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!