Hammerblow for Putin as Ukraine destroys rare £17.7m Russian weapon | World | News
Ukrainian forces destroyed a £17.7m Russian spy plane in an attempt to launch an attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s submarines, the country’s intelligence service has claimed. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that the daring attack destroyed Russia’s only Il-38N aircraft based in the Black Sea, setting the stage for an attack on the Varshavyanka-class submarine.
It was stated that the aircraft, designed for maritime reconnaissance and water monitoring, has the capacity to detect the newly developed ‘Submarine Baby’ underwater unmanned aerial vehicle used to hit the boat in the Novorossiysk port in southern Russia. “The disabling of this anti-submarine aircraft ensured the successful execution of the main part of the special operation – the detonation of the “Varshavyanka” class submarine,” the SBU said in a post on Telegram. The SBU said an aerial drone carrying an airburst warhead containing “2,000 striking elements” was used to disable the aircraft at Yeisk airbase.
The agency claimed that the drone hit the plane’s main radars and equipment and also damaged the engine.
In the images published by SBU, it is claimed that a UAV is heading towards the ‘Sea Dragon’ plane next to the runway.
“The published footage of the successful attack on the Russian aircraft clearly shows the real level of protection of the enemy’s strategic facilities, which is significantly different from the internal reports and public statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” the SBU said in a statement on social media. he said.
The agency cited reports suggesting that Ukrainian forces attacked a diesel-electric submarine last week, killing 14 Russian sailors.
It was stated that the shot down Il-38N “actively opposed” the SBU drones and could have prevented the submarine from being hit.
Ukraine claimed that the aircraft was Russia’s only Il-38N in the Black Sea region.
The aircraft is an upgraded version of the Cold War-era Il-38, commonly known by its NATO reporting name May.
It is unclear how many Il-38Ns Russia has on hand, but reports in 2017 suggested that Russia planned to have 30 of the upgraded aircraft that could also carry out anti-submarine operations and torpedo firings.
Moscow has not yet commented on the attack allegations.
Ukraine has regularly used unmanned aerial vehicles to attack Russian naval assets in the Black Sea during the bloody war, which is approaching its fifth year.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial hub as part of a plan to end Russia’s war if Moscow also withdraws and the region becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.
