Article

2023-02-28 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Putin's £274million spy plane 'is destroyed in drone attack near Minsk by pro-Ukraine Belarus group'

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A £274million Russian spy plane has reportedly been destroyed in a drone attack near Minsk by a pro-Ukraine Belarus group.

Belarusian partisans and members of the country's exiled opposition said they damaged Vladimir Putin

" ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
's A-50U surveillance military aircraft in a secret mission.

Two participants had used drones and had already left the country, claimed Franak Viacorka, a close adviser of opposition figurehead Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Front and central parts of the AWACS Beriev A-50U aircraft as well as the radar antenna were damaged from two explosions at the Machulishchy air base near Minsk, Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL claimed.

'Partisans... confirmed a successful special operation to blow up a rare Russian plane at the airfield in Machulishchy near Minsk,' tweeted Viacorka. 'This is the most successful diversion since the beginning of 2022.'

Posted by Skidmark 2023-02-28 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Psyops news media. This is a planted media event. No verification as yet. Tip off also of mythical pro-Ukraine Belarus group.

Posted by Dale 2023-02-28 03:55|| 2023-02-28 03:55|| Front Page Top

#2 48 Hour Rule, Dale. Let’s wait and see if there is outside confirmation of this single source claim.

Posted by trailing wife 2023-02-28 05:36|| 2023-02-28 05:36|| Front Page Top

#3 #2 48 Hour Rule, Dale. Let’s wait and see if there is outside confirmation of this single source claim.

Russian military blogger had the story a coupla days ago:

Posted by badanov 2023-02-28 07:41|| 2023-02-28 07:41|| Front Page Top

#4 This story has been out there a while. All we do know is the plane is destroyed and a anti-Russian group took credit. They have been getting more and more active since the war started and I would bet money they are getting support from western powers.

Posted by DarthVader 2023-02-28 07:55|| 2023-02-28 07:55|| Front Page Top

#5 Just finished reading John Plaster's SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam." To retain deniability for operations in disallowed areas, SOG used to attribute intelligence it had collected or events that SOG was involved in to the "FGU," that is, Friendly Guerilla Unit.

Maybe something like that in this instance too.

Posted by M. Murcek 2023-02-28 08:48|| 2023-02-28 08:48|| Front Page Top

#6 Several Belarusians have been arrested for sabotaging rail lines and control signals carrying Russian troops and equipment.

Posted by Ebbains Threrenter5475 2023-02-28 09:16|| 2023-02-28 09:16|| Front Page Top

#7 Russian Spy Plane Worth ₹ 2,737 Crore Destroyed By Drones In Belarus: Report

Inside the secretive anti-Lukashenko group that destroyed a Russian spy plane in Belarus

Posted by Skidmark 2023-02-28 10:51|| 2023-02-28 10:51|| Front Page Top

#8 Belarus Official Says Claim Activists Blew up Russian Spy Plane Near Minsk Is Fake

Posted by Skidmark 2023-02-28 10:54|| 2023-02-28 10:54|| Front Page Top

#9 A satellite image of Machulishchy airfield in Belarus was published by CNN journalist Gianluca Mezzofiore. Signs of damage are visible on the AWACS A-50 airfraft that was attacked.

Posted by Ebbains Threrenter5475 2023-02-28 12:03|| 2023-02-28 12:03|| Front Page Top

#10 What's good for the goose...

Same goons will cry foul if Russia starts targeting sponsored/gifted ukr military assets in 'neutral' European Countries.

That'd be so rich, hitting the trains used to transport the tanks and other mil assets to ukr. But we know how Article 51 would be used and invoked.

Posted by mossomo 2023-02-28 12:41|| 2023-02-28 12:41|| Front Page Top

#11 Points: Is it flyable to get it to repairs? Can the Ilyushin boys get the parts to fix it?
This is 1/6 of the russian airborne warning fleet. In the USAF, the rule has been that you have to have six aircraft to keep one in the air continuously. The A-50U's contribution to the events so far is to provide look down radar of Uke poitions and movement. So there's possible holes in the coverage now.

Posted by ed in texas 2023-02-28 19:37|| 2023-02-28 19:37|| Front Page Top

#12 Condemned to take Communist Trailways
Cuz Nazis have blown up your railways?
"And probably Juice!"
How'll you save your caboose?
"Comrade Gitler has shown us!"
Cue Dale's praise.

Fun little Ukro-German-globo-Russo flick along those lines: In the Fog (2012)

Posted by Chunky Jising1138 2023-02-28 21:05|| 2023-02-28 21:05|| Front Page Top

#13 Extra credit for fitting in one of Rantburg’s own with a perfect rhyme, Zenobia F. :-)

Posted by trailing wife 2023-02-28 23:33|| 2023-02-28 23:33|| Front Page Top

#14 Heh. Clangs like a nine pound steel, though, don't it?

Posted by Chunky Jising1138 2023-02-28 23:58|| 2023-02-28 23:58|| Front Page Top

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