A Russian military aircraft A-50 it was damaged a few hours ago by a drone strike while parked at an airport near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. This was reported to Reuters by some Belarusian partisans and members of the opposition, now in exile.
The front and center parts of the aircraft, as well as the radar antenna, were damaged as a result of two explosions in the attack on the Machulishchy air base near Minsk. The plane Beriev A-50, with a NATO reporting name, Mainstay, is a Russian surveillance aircraft, with command and control capabilities capable of tracking up to 60 targets at a time.
"Those were drones. The participants in the operation are Belarusians”, he said on Telegram and Polish news channel Belsat, Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of the Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL.
Stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter!
Belsat is a Polish broadcaster that mainly covers Belarusian news. Minsk considers it an extremist channel. BYPOL is an organization branded as terrorist and is made up of former law enforcement officers who support opposition politicians.
Franak Viacorka, adviser to the leader of the Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said in a Twitter post that it was the most successful act of sabotage since early 2022.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports. There was no immediate response from the defense ministries of Russia and Belarus to a request for comment.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, there have been several acts of sabotage in Belarus and the Russian regions bordering Ukraine, particularly on the railway system.
The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko it did not directly take part in Russia's war against Ukraine, but it did allow its forces access to use the territory for an invasion a year ago.
Russia and Belarus have established a joint military unit in Belarus and have held numerous exercises. A number of Russian warplanes and airborne early warning and control aircraft have been deployed to Belarus.
"I am proud of all Belarusians who continue to resist the Russian hybrid occupation of Belarus and fight for the freedom of Ukraine”Opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Twitter.