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Ukraine's military said Monday that its forces shot down two Russian spy planes during a "successful mission" over the Sea of Azov.
"The Air Force of the Ukrainian Army has destroyed an enemy A-50 surveillance aircraft and an Il-22 air command post of the enemy," Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief General Valeriy Zaluzhniy said on Facebook.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no information about the downing of two Russian military planes. The Ministry of Defense of Russia has not commented on this event.
These aircraft are important tools for Russia, which uses them to orchestrate movements on the battlefields of the war in Ukraine.
Their downfall would be a huge achievement for Ukraine in the now two-year war, where frontline fighting is taking place mainly in trenches and with artillery.
The A-50 is a warning and control aircraft with a large radar capable of spotting targets early and at a distance of 650 kilometers.
It usually carries a crew of 15. Russia is reported to operate nine such aircraft.
The Il-22 is an airborne command post intended to oversee military operations and relay radio waves to troops on the front line. It is reported that the Russian Air Force has dozens of such aircraft.
Ukraine is eager to impress its Western backers with its ability to use the weapons they have given it.
Meanwhile, earlier Monday, the United Nations asked donors to provide $4.2 billion in humanitarian aid this year to Ukrainians in the war-torn country and to those who have fled the country.
More than 14.6 million Ukrainians inside the country, or 40 percent of the total population, are in need of humanitarian assistance this year, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
Since the start of this year, Ukraine has been facing an intense campaign of Russian airstrikes, making the lives of civilians even more difficult./REL
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