Russian spy plane Beriev A-50 (Getty Images)

Ukraine's air force said on Monday it had shot down two Russian jets over the Sea of Azov, southeastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that the two planes were on a mission to detect long-range radars of Ukrainian forces.

The forces added in a statement that they destroyed a Russian Pyrev A-50 spy plane used to detect long-range radars, and an Ilyushinll-22 airborne command and control aircraft in the Sea of Azov region, representing "a blow to Russian military operations in occupied southern Ukraine."

The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, wrote on the Telegram messaging app: "I am grateful to the air force for the operation perfectly planned and executed in the Sea of Azov region."

Kiev's comments did not explain how the planes were destroyed, and the Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the news.

First into service near the end of the Soviet era, the A-50 is a large airborne early warning and control unit that can scan an area for several hundred kilometers in search of enemy aircraft, ships and missiles.

Some Russian military bloggers said shooting down the plane would be a huge loss for the Russian Air Force, given that there are limited numbers of aircraft in service.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine and conditioned its termination on Kiev's abandonment of plans to join NATO, which the latter considers an "interference" in its sovereignty.

Ukrainian attack

On the other hand, the governor of the Russian province of Kursk, Roman Starvoit, announced at dawn on Monday that air defense systems shot down 3 Ukrainian missiles over the Vatzhsky region in the Kursk region.

Starvojit wrote on Telegram, according to preliminary information, our air defense systems shot down 3 Ukrainian missiles over the Vatzhsky region of the Kursk region.

Earlier, Starvowit announced the activation of air defense systems in the province's skies.

Ukrainian forces fire drones and rockets on a daily basis into Russia's border areas.

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies