MADRID, February 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

British intelligence services have indicated that the damage allegedly suffered by Russian military aircraft remaining in Belarus “would further limit” Russian air operations in the framework of the invasion of Ukraine.

“The authors’ claims and damages have not been officially substantiated. However, the loss of the A-50 Flagship would be significant, as it is essential for Russian air operations to provide an aerial view of the battlefield,” they said, according to a series of messages published by the UK Ministry of Defence via its website.

“This will probably leave six A-50s operational, which will further limit Russian air operations,” they said, before stressing that the devices serve as a “control platform” and “early warning.” “Its role is to create a recognizable aerial image and coordinate the mounted fighter,” they explained.

They also stated that the plane was discovered by a “non-professional aircraft observer” after participating in joint maneuvers between January 16 and February 1, while they highlighted that the opposition Belarusian Association of Security Forces (BYPOL) said on Monday that it was behind the incident. and caused damage to the A-50.

BYPOL leader Alexander Azarov stated that the “participants in the operation were Belarusians” and detailed that the plane was hit by several explosions front and center. “The damage is serious, the plane is not going anywhere,” the organization said.

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko did not directly specify what happened, although on Monday he met several top state officials, including the defense and interior ministers, Viktor Jrenin and Ivan Kubrakov. , to whom he had asked to intensify the “discipline”.

Russia and Belarus have jointly participated in various military exercises in recent months. Although Minsk was not directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict, it did allow the Russian side to use its territory as a base of operations.