Ukraine has said it shot down one of Russia’s most valuable military planes and seriously damaged another, dealing a major blow to Moscow’s airborne command and control capabilities. 

Army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app that “Ukraine’s air force destroyed an enemy A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and an enemy Il-22 air control centre”.

He added: “I am grateful to the air force for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov Sea region!”

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The Beriev A-50 was supposedly shot down over the Sea of Azov, while the Ilyushin Il-22 was also hit, but was able to make a forced landing.

If true, the loss of the A-50 is a serious blow to Russia’s ability to detect Ukrainian threats and mount its own offensive airborne operations.

The Soviet-era A-50 airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) can detect missiles and enemy aircraft, and can also be used as an airborne command centre, coordinating targets for Russian jets, helicopters or drones.

The Il-22 has a similar role, but is older and less capable.

The Beriev A-50 four-engine, turbofan jet-propelled aircraft, which goes by the Nato reporting name of Mainstay, is Russia’s version of US Air Force’s Boeing E-3 Sentry.

The unit cost of the Russian aircraft is reportedly more than £235m.

It features a top-mounted radome that contains a high-range rotating radar which scans 360 degrees.

The modernised version of the aircraft, the A-50U, can reportedly monitor aerial targets out to a distance of 400 miles and ground targets out to around 180 miles, simultaneously tracking 300 ground targets or 40 airborne.

The A-50 has a 15-person crew, consisting of highly trained personnel and likely senior officers given its tactical importance.

The loss of trained personnel like these – assuming none survived – would be yet another blow to Russia..

Initially, there were around 40 A-50s when they first entered service in 1985, but according to the London-based IISS think tank, Russia had only nine left in operation by 2021, including four of the updated A-50U variants.

The other Russian command plane was reportedly hit and forced to return to base.

Images emerged showing the damaged tail section of the Ilyushin Il-22 Coot, which was able to make an emergency landing.

If Ukraine did manage to hit both the A-50 and the Il-22, Sunday would mark the single worst day for the Russian air force in the 23 months since Russia widened its war on Ukraine.