Wonder tanks and radar planes destroyed: this is how Ukraine was able to shoot down Putin’s best weapons

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The army of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (71) suffered two heavy losses this weekend. First, the Ukrainian army reported the destruction of one of its most powerful tanks – and then two Russian reconnaissance aircraft crashed over the Sea of ​​Azov. Ukraine also wants to have a hand in this. What this means for Russia – and why some details raise questions.

Russian wonder tank loses to two Bradley infantry fighting vehicles

Drone footage from the weekend circulating on X shows a Ukrainian-Russian tank battle north of Avdiivka. Two American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles battle a Russian T-90M. It is the best and most modern tank in the Russian army.

The Russian T-90M, with its heavy armor and 125 millimeter gun, is definitely the Goliath compared to David, the Bradley used by Ukraine. This is “only” equipped with a 25 millimeter machine gun. And as is the case in the Biblical story, David triumphs over the all-powerful Goliath. The Ukrainian soldiers manage to damage the Russian tank so badly that it fails. It shows that the Ukrainians know how to best use their weapons.

Two Russian aircraft eliminated over the Sea of ​​Azov

The second bad news for the Russian troops followed on Sunday: a valuable A-50 aircraft, a kind of flying radar, was shot down. Another Il-22 flying command center was also damaged. According to media reports, the A-50 disappeared from radars over the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia. The Il-22M, on the other hand, made an emergency landing in the southern Russian city of Anapa near the Crimean Bridge after the fire.

It is a painful loss for the Russian air force. Both aircraft are of great strategic importance for the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. No wonder, then, that Ukraine promptly claimed responsibility for the shootings. “I would like to thank the Air Force for the beautifully planned and executed operation in the Azov region!” cheers Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Saluschny (50) on Telegram. The Ukrainian air force also immediately praised itself for the successful ‘special operation’.

Who is responsible for the planes?

It is unclear whether the Ukrainian air force is actually behind this. Because Ukraine still does not have the necessary fighter jets and the crash sites are far away from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russian military bloggers initially speculated whether Russian air defenses themselves were responsible for shooting down the planes. Several such cases have occurred since the war broke out almost two years ago, wrote blogger Rybar.

Justin Bronk, an air force expert at the British think tank Rusi, suspects that the “most likely weapon” is the Patriot missiles used by the Ukrainian army. However, it would be very risky to place the Patriot systems at the front. And just from the front line to the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov there is a distance of 120 kilometers. The Ukrainians may have consciously taken the risk to send a clear signal to the Russians about the vulnerability of their aircraft, including in the supposedly safe hinterland.

But even if the Russian planes were not damaged by Ukrainian hands, it is a small victory for Ukraine: if the Russian reconnaissance planes have to fear being shot down in their previous areas of operation, they can be moved further from the front. From there, the airborne information would no longer be as accurate. At the very latest, this would be tactically relevant if Kiev’s forces receive F-16 fighter jets from the West in the foreseeable future, as promised.

Source: Blick