On Sunday, February 26th, Belarusian opposition group BYPOL claimed that a Russian AEW&C Beriev A-50U aircraft was severely damaged by a special operation carried out by the partisan group known as the “Victoria Plan.” The attack, reportedly carried out with two drones, allegedly caused enough damage to render the vital piece of technology out of service.
However, the veracity of these claims has been called into question following the emergence of satellite images taken on February 28th, which show the A-50 aircraft at the Machulyshche airbase in relatively good condition.
Як вынікае са спадарожнікавых здымкаў ад сэрвісу Planet Labs Inc, самалёт А-50 знаходзіцца не на тым месцы, дзе знаходзіўся на здымках за апошні месяц – 9 лютага, 14 лютага і 19 лютага.https://t.co/VzZuYemZzu
— Радыё Свабода (@svaboda) February 28, 2023
While the images do show two black marks on the Shmel-M radar antenna and the front of the fuselage, consistent with BYPOL’s claims, the damage appears to be much less severe than initially reported.
Russian Beriev A-50 reportedly destroyed on the ground by Belarusian partisans
Here are updated images from @maxar without the pinkish colour pic.twitter.com/hRl4MIGZTH
— Gianluca Mezzofiore (@GianlucaMezzo) February 28, 2023
It is possible that the radar of the A-50 may have been rendered inoperable by the damage, but it remains unclear whether the aircraft can still be flown and transported to Russia for repairs. However, it appears that the aircraft has been relocated from its usual parking spot, which could be a reaction to the reported attack.
Further evaluation of the damage will have to wait for high-resolution satellite photos to emerge. Meanwhile, the incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Belarusian opposition groups and the Lukashenko government, as well as the strategic importance of AEW&C technology in modern warfare.
