Pro-Ukraine Belarus group blows up Putin's £274 million spy aircraft near Minsk

Minsk: A pro-Ukraine Belarusian group claimed to have destroyed Vladimir Putin’s £274 million spy aircraft in a drone strike near Minsk. Exiled opposition figures and Belarus supporters claimed to have damaged a Russian A-50 spy plane as part of a covert operation. Franak Viacorka, a close advisor to opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, asserted that the two Belarusians who carried out the operation had used drones. He added that they had already fled the country and were safe. According to the Belarusian anti-government group BYPOL, two explosions during the assault on the Machulishchy air base near Minsk damaged the front and centre sections of the AWACS Beriev A-50U aircraft as well as the radar antenna. Viacorka tweeted that “Partisans verified a successful special operation to blow up a rare Russian plane at the airfield in Machulishchy near Minsk.” Since the start of 2022, this distraction has been the most effective. The A-50 aircraft Beriev A-50 is a Russian airborne early warning aircraft with airborne command and control capabilities. It has the capacity to monitor up to 60 targets simultaneously. NATO refers calls it Mainstay. The distinctive aircraft is equipped with a fibreglass dome measuring more than 33 feet in circumference, which houses the Shmel radar complex’s rotating antenna. Its long-range radar detection technology has been used by Putin’s air force to precisely target bombing targets inside Ukraine. Tsikhanouskaya posted on Twitter, “I am proud of all Belarusians who continue to resist the Russian hybrid occupation of Belarus & battle for the freedom of Ukraine.” Independent verification of the drone assault reports was not possible. There was no formal denial from Russia or Belarus, and their defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, according to reports, there were extensive searches being conducted by security and law enforcement agencies near to Machulishchi in the Minsk region, according to locals. Half of Machulishchi is blocked off, a local said. there are many troops everywhere. Five military trucks with machine guns were visible. There, all vehicles and minibuses are being stopped, and bags and car trunks are being inspected. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, there have been a number of acts of sabotage, particularly on the railway system, in Belarus and in the Russian areas bordering Ukraine. Since then, there has been military action in Belarus by both Russian and Belarusian forces, thanks to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a crucial Putin ally. According to Kyiv, Russia has also used airstrips in Belarus as a launching pad for attacks on Ukraine. Ukraine has expressed concern that Minsk will join the conflict as a result of a number of military exercises that Belarus and Russia have conducted recently. Airborne early detection and control aircraft and warplanes from Russia have been stationed in Belarus. According to reports, the crashed A-50’s identification number was RF-50608. On January 3rd, it landed in Belarus after completing a dozen sorties related to the conflict in Ukraine. There are only six of these updated A-50U aeroplanes in Russia, and each one has a 19-person crew. It can follow 60 objects at once. Putin’s MiG-31K fighter jets, which are equipped with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, are based in Machulishchi and used to strike Ukraine. The A-50U frequently rides shotgun with these MiGs while in action. The A-50U’s functions include directing fighter aircraft to aerial targets, detecting, tracking, and identifying aerial, large ground, and naval targets, as well as transmitting pertinent data to command posts. A woman was arrested in Machulishchy, according to the Belarusian human rights organisation Vyasna, but the reason why and whereabouts of the woman were unknown. On whether the detention was connected to the purported sabotage of the aircraft, there was no information. In Belarus, arrests are frequently made for infractions as minor as social media comments, particularly after Lukashenko crushed the mass pro-democracy protests in 2020 and imprisoned all prominent opposition figures or forced them to leave the country. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.