In mid-February 2024, Ukrainian forces claimed they had shot down a Russian A-50U reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Azov. However, a few days later, Russian military bloggers denied the Ukrainian claim, stating that the early warning and control aircraft was downed by friendly fire.
Recently, the Russian Investigative Committee and military counterintelligence have accused Colonel Mykola Dzyaman, commander of the 138th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, of being the main perpetrator in the downing of the Russian Air Force's A-50U aircraft.
