UK says alleged damage to a Russian plane in Belarus will "further limit" its air operations

MADRID, 28 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The British intelligence services have indicated that the damage allegedly suffered by a Russian military plane that remained stationed in Belarus "will further limit" Russian air operations in the framework of the invasion of Ukraine.

"The claim of authorship and damage have not been officially substantiated. However, the loss of an A-50 Mainstay would be significant, as it is crucial for Russian air operations to give an aerial picture of the battlefield," they have indicated, according to a series of messages published by the British Ministry of Defense through its website.

"This will probably leave six A-50 operational, which will further limit Russian air operations," they said, before stressing that the device serves as a "control platform" and "early warning." "His role is to create a recognizable aerial image and coordinate the attached combat aircraft," they explained.

Likewise, they have stated that the plane was located by "non-professional aircraft observers" after it participated in joint maneuvers between January 16 and February 1, while they have highlighted that the opposition Association of Security Forces of Belarus (BYPOL) said on Monday that it had been behind the incident and caused damage to the A-50.

BYPOL leader Alexander Azarov stated that "the participants in the operation are Belarusians" and detailed that the plane was hit by several explosions in its front and center parts. "The damage is serious, the plane will not fly anywhere," the organization said.

For his part, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has not made direct mention of what happened, although he met on Monday with several high-ranking State officials, including the Defense and Interior Ministers, Viktor Jrenin and Ivan Kubrakov, respectively. , to whom he has asked to intensify "discipline".

Russia and Belarus have been jointly participating in various military exercises in recent months. Although Minsk has not been directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict, it allows the Russian side to use its territory as a base of operations.