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HISTORY
she was informed that her husband, along with
the entire crew, was missing. Levchenko was
a prominent pilot, participating in a military
parade in Moscow's Red Square in 2020.
Later, the names of other crew members
were added - Major M.A. Kvasov, who was the
navigator of the aircraft, Major A.S. Shadrov,
Captain D.A. Kutuzov, Captain M.S. Bolyasnikov,
and First Lieutenant A.I. Izmaylov. This is not
a complete list, as half of the names are still
unknown. Relevant Russian channels initiated
a donation to aid the families of the deceased
pilots, indirectly confirming the loss of the
aircraft.
In the following information, various sources
differ. Initially, it was stated that the shot-
down aircraft had the designation RF-50601
and the fuselage number "red 50." According
to later information, it was the A-50U with the
designation RF-93966 and the fuselage number
"red 37." It belonged to the 610th Center for
Combat Training and Retraining of Air Personnel
based in Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow.
It is unknown how many usable A-50
aircraft remain in the Russian Air Force
inventory - estimates range from two to eight.
One was damaged earlier in February 2023
at the Belarusian Machulishchy airport. Local
partisans hit the radar and electronic hump on
the back of one A-50 with drones. The aircraft's
fuselage itself was not damaged, and the plane
later flew for repairs. What is certain is that
after the latest loss, A-50s stopped operating
over the Sea of Azov and relocated to the Rostov
region beyond Russia's original borders. This
means they are safe from Ukrainian missiles but
also that the range into Ukrainian territory has
decreased by about 200 km.
Two at Once
On the evening of January 14th, Ukrainians
achieved a double hit. In addition to the A-50,
they also hit the Il-22M, which was moving
in its vicinity. This is a flying command and
communication post based on the old four-
engine IL-18 turboprop aircraft. Its role was to
transmit information gathered by the A-50 crew
further, as it has more powerful communication
equipment for this purpose. The Il-22M was
riddled with shrapnel after the hit, with engines
hit and casualties on board. Despite this, it did
not catch fire, remained airborne and landed
at Anapa Airport in the Krasnodar Krai on the
Russian side of the Sea of Azov. "I urgently
request an ambulance and firefighters," was
the pilot's emergency call, which was also
intercepted by Ukrainians.
Specifically, it was the Il-22M-11SURT with the
designation RF-95678, belonging to the 1338th
test center. Its commander, Major Viktor Klimov,
succumbed to injuries caused by shrapnel.
The second pilot was also injured but managed
to make an emergency landing. According to
Ukrainian sources, the second casualty on
board was Colonel Burmistrov. Photographs of
the tail of the aircraft, riddled with holes, were
published. The aircraft is deemed irreparable.
Did it Carry POWs?
The third giant that the Russian air force
lost during the observed period was the Il-76M,
which crashed on Wednesday, January 24th,
near the village of Jablonove in the Belgorod
region. There is a video capturing its demise.
It shows a smoke cloud after the explosion of
an anti-aircraft missile, the rapid descent of the
aircraft, and a subsequent fiery explosion on the
ground. However, the incident is surrounded by
the greatest uncertainties of all three cases.
Ukraine stated that the aircraft was carrying
a load of missiles. According to some sources,
it was in Iran the day before, returning through
Saudi Arabian and Egyptian airspace and
around Cyprus. Russia, however, declared that
besides the crew, there were also 65 Ukrainian
prisoners of war and three guards on board.
The Russian secret service immediately
cordoned off the crash site, not allowing civilian
rescuers in. Only a few shots leaked showing
wreckage of the aircraft but no dozens of corpses.
On that day, a prisoner exchange was supposed
to take place. The first exchange took place on
January 3rd after a long hiatus that lasted until
August 2023. 230 Ukrainians returned home,
including defenders of Snake Island, 45 people
who were considered dead, and six illegally
detained civilians. In the opposite direction,
248 Russian prisoners set out. The exchange
planned for January 24th did not take place after
the Il-76 was shot down. Russian media released
a list of prisoners who allegedly died on board
the aircraft. However, it included 17 people
who had already been exchanged on January
3rd - an obvious forgery.
Moreover, the aircraft was heading away from
Belgorod. It was shot down 60 km northeast of
the city. If it was supposed to bring prisoners,
why was it flying in the opposite direction?
The Russian side stopped mentioning the
allegedly killed prisoners after a few days, and
exchanges of prisoners continued uninterrupted
in the following months. According to all
available information, it is more likely that there
were no Ukrainians on board. Only the names of
the six dead Il-76 crew members were published.
They were Captain Stanislav Bezzubkin,
Captain Alexey Vysokin, Officer Vadim Khmirev,
Lieutenant Andrei Pilyev, Senior Warrant Officer
Igor Sablinsky, and Sergeant Sergey Zhitenev.
All six had a joint military funeral. There are
some inconsistencies about the identity of the
aircraft, but according to The Military Watch
portal, it was the aircraft with the designation
RF-82868 from the 117th regiment of the military
transport aviation.
Non-Combat Losses
In addition to the three giants, the Russian
Air Force suffered several non-combat losses.
At Chelyabinsk Shagol Airport in the Urals,
a Ukrainian saboteur attempted to set a parked
Su-34 fighter-bomber on fire. This occurred
on January 3rd in the middle of the night using
a Molotov cocktail inserted into the engine's
intake. The incident was recorded entirely.
The extent of the damage is unknown because
the video ended when the fire ignited. However,
for preventive reasons, the incident should
Wreckage of Il-76M shot down near the village of Jablonovo. Notice the numerous holes from shrapnel.
INFO Eduard
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March 2024