As this publication reported earlier today, a Russian Aerospace Forces A-50/MAINSTAY and IL-22/COOT were shot down over the Sea of Azov. As with most significant events during this war, misinformation, disinformation, and competing narratives continue to swirl.
After Ukrainian MP Mysyagin told his TG followers that Ukrainian air defenses shot down both aircraft, Russian military bloggers raced to correct the information. Pro-Russian TG pages such as Supernova_Plus, RVvoenkor, and Boris_Rhozin all reported that the shootdown of the A-50 was not true and that the IL-22 was damaged, but managed to land at Anapa airfield, with casualties. They also claimed that the Il-22 was a victim of friendly fire and not from Ukrainian air defenses, which is plausible considering the Sea of Azov lies well behind the Russian forward line of troops and thus out of range from Ukraine’s most capable air defense systems, including the U.S.-supplied PATRIOT.
Pro-Ukrainian military bloggers have circulated garbled radio traffic claiming to be the pilot of the IL-22 requesting emergency services at Anapa, but those reports are unverified .
There has still been no official announcement from the Russian Ministry of Defense
