Russia's £274m A-50U surveillance aircraft 'blown apart' by pro-Kyiv supporters in Belarus

Anti-government activists in Belarus claim to have destroyed a £274m Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone strike at the Machulishchy airbase near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Belarus, a committed Russian ally, has permitted Moscow to use its soil to launch attacks against Ukraine but has so far refrained from directly joining the conflict.

The organisation that has claimed responsiblity for the attack is BYPOL. It is a group of former law enforcement officers that support members of the political opposition in Belarus and are anti-Kremlin in their approach. They have been designated a terrorist organisation by Minsk. 

Most successful diversion since the beginning of 2022: Minsk official

Franak Viacorka, adviser to senior leader of opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya tweeted, “Partisans from the "Pieramoha" (Victory) plan confirmed a successful special operation to blow up a rare Russian plane at the airfield in Machulishchy near Minsk. This is the most successful diversion since the beginning of 2022."

GLORY TO BELARUSIAN PARTISANS!

Partisans from the "Pieramoha" (Victory) plan confirmed a successful special operation to blow up a rare Russian plane at the airfield in Machulishchy near Minsk. This is the most successful diversion since the beginning of 2022. pic.twitter.com/4Q6UmmvylT

— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) February 26, 2023

Minsk has allowed Russia to use its soil to launch attacks on Ukraine

The Russian aircraft was hit by munitions dropped by two drones, as per reports. A second munition reportedly hit close to the cockpit. “The front and middle section of the aircraft were damaged, as well as avionics and a radar antenna,” as per a report quoting BYPOL.

Russian A-50 aircraft was blown up in two places, as it is shown in the photo.
The front and central parts of the plane were damaged, the avionics and the radar antenna were damaged, according to ByPOL. It is reported that Russian has only 9 such airplanes. pic.twitter.com/g6608zAj03

— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) February 26, 2023

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has permitted Russian forces to utilise Belarusian territory as a staging area for their invasion since February 24, 2022. However, Belarus has not directly participated in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Kyiv has long expressed concern that Belarus would join the conflict on Russia's side and has accused Russia of using Belarusian airstrips as a base to launch assaults on Ukraine. A combined military unit between Russia and Belarus has been established there, and numerous drills have been conducted. Moreover, several Russian fighter jets and airborne early warning and control aircraft have been sent to Belarus.

The Beriev A50 was constructed using an Ilyushin transport plane's airframe. It entered service in the middle of the 1980s, and with about 40 of them developed, nine of which are reportedly still in operation, Russia is able to target air defences by determining when and where the systems are deployed. Airborne early warning and control aircraft are used to monitor and survey the battlefield and assist in managing as well as identifying airplanes, ships, missiles, and other incoming projectiles at long ranges.