American analysts drew attention to the fact that Russia invented a new version of Ukraine's destruction of its A-50 aircraft and damage to the Il-22M air command post.
Russia invents fables about defeating A-50 and Il-22M
The American Institute for the Study of War drew attention to the fact that strange statements began to be heard in the Russian information space.
The Russians continue to deny that the Armed Forces managed to shoot down the A-50 plane and have already invented a false version that it was destroyed by "friendly fire" of Russian air defence.
As foreign experts note, the A-50 is used to coordinate the actions of the Russian air force and, perhaps, the air defence itself, so the fiction that the Russian air defence forces shot down this plane sounds as absurd as possible.
A Russian insider source, who claims to be close to an unidentified Russian security establishment, claims that unidentified Russian actors created a "duck" (a Russian term for a false claim) about how Russian forces shot down an A-50 to reassure Russian pilots, that flights over the Black and Azov seas are still safe and that human error was the cause of the incident.
However, American analysts cannot understand why Russian pilots should feel more comfortable with the idea that their ground-based air defences are so incompetent.
ISW does not know what the authorities of Russia are counting on by spreading such lies.
What is known about the destruction of Russian A-50 and Il-22M by Ukraine
In the evening of January 14, telegram channels began to spread information about the downing of a Russian reconnaissance aircraft A-50 and the damage to the Il-22M enemy air command post.
Only in the morning of January 15, this news was partially confirmed by the commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Mykola Oleshchuk.
A little later, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi officially announced that the Air Force was able to shoot down two important Russian vessels — a long-range radar detection aircraft and an air control post.
Thanks to the Air Force for the excellently planned and conducted operation in the Azov region! — said the general's statement.
