Anastasia Pechenyuk22:21, 26.02.23

The saboteurs were able to leave Belarus after a successful attack.

A Russian A-50U military aircraft at the airfield in Machulishchi (Minsk region of Belarus) was attacked by Belarusian saboteurs using two drones, according to the monitoring group “Belarusian Gayun” and the initiative of former Belarusian policemen BYPOL.

“According to the information of “Belarusian Gayun”, today’s attack by Belarusian partisans on the AWACS aircraft A-50U of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Machulishchi was carried out with the help of two drones. … “Belarusian Gayun” also has information that Lukashenka’s security forces found a bag with drone control panels,” – says in the message “BG” in Telegram

The head of BYPOL Alexander Azarov, in a commentary to Belsat, said that the Belarusians who organized the sabotage had successfully escaped and were abroad. 

“These were drones. The participants in the operation are Belarusians, participants in the Peramoga plan, now they are safe outside the country. Everyone has left, let them now look for the wind in the field,” he said. 

Explosion at the airfield in Machulishchi – what is known about the attack in Belarus

Machulishchi is a small village in the Minsk region of Belarus, where an air base and a military airfield are located, actively exploited by Russian invaders. The Russians store here their MiG-31K fighter jets (the carrier of the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles), each rise into the air is accompanied by an air alert throughout Ukraine. MiGs are often lifted into the sky along with the Russian A-50U early warning aircraft.

In the morning (according to other information – still at night) on February 26, explosions sounded at the Machulishchi airfield . It soon became known that a Russian A-50 early warning aircraft had been attacked. The BYPOL initiative said the plane was badly damaged and “definitely won’t fly anywhere.” It was reported that the front and central parts of the aircraft, avionics and radar antenna were damaged. 

According to BG, an AWACS aircraft A-50U of the Russian Aerospace Forces with registration number RF-50608 (tail number “43 red”, serial number 0093479377, serial number 60-05), which arrived in Belarus on January 3, 2023, was damaged. For 54 days, this board made 12 sorties. His last arrival to Belarusian territory was on February 24.

According to available information, the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation have only 9 such aircraft (of which 6 are advanced). The cost of such an aircraft is estimated at 330 million dollars.

(C)UNIAN 2023