South military command explains why Russia paused it’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine
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Russia is not launching missile strikes against Ukraine due to the absence of the A-50 radar detection and control aircraft, Natalia Humeniuk, head of the Press Center of the Southern Operational Command, said on national TV on March 18.
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"We are monitoring the activity of strategic aviation as well,” she said.
“And we understand that the pause is related to the fact that there are no A-50 aircrafts in the air, no reconnaissance, no intelligence center.”
Humeniuk reminded that previous "operations" of Russian aviation were "not very frequent and not very effective."
"As a result of the massive shoot down of Russian jets, these operations(using the A-50 for missile strikes) are now very risky for the enemy," she said.
Read also: Russia loses another A-50 AWACS plane
However, according to her, Russians have not given up on conducting massive missile strikes against Ukraine, because "this is the main advantage they have."
Humeniuk added that the Ukrainian military is monitoring the situation and keeping it under special control.
Downing of Russian A-50s: what is known
On Jan. 14, the media began to spread information that the Ukrainian military had shot down a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft and an Il-22 command and control aircraft over the Sea of Azov. The next day, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, indirectly confirmed this information.
Subsequently, the information about the destruction of Russian A-50 and Il-22 aircraft was confirmed by the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny, who thanked the Ukrainian Air Force for the "perfectly planned and executed operation" in the Azov Sea.
According to the Defense Express, the destruction of the A-50 was the first-ever destruction of a long-range radar detection aircraft. According to the propaganda Telegram channel Fighterbomber, at least 11 military pilots were killed.
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On the evening of Feb. 23, the Ukrainian defense forces shot down a second A-50. This was officially confirmed by the Ukrainian Air Force and the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. According to media reports, the plane was hit by a Soviet S-200 air defense system.
On Feb. 24, Ukrayinska Pravda, citing sources in the HUR, reported that all 10 crew members were killed. According to the source, the dead Russians list included five majors, three captains, an ensign and a lieutenant.
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