Ukrainian Strike Destroys Russian A-50U and Zoopark-2 Radar Systems.

Opposition guerrilla group BYPOL claimed responsibility for drone strikes on a Russian Aerospace Forces Beriev A-50U airborne early warning and battle management platform at the Machulishchy aerodrome of the Belarus armed forces. The A-50U serves as the targeting platform for the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile, which is launched from a special variant of the Mikoyan MiG-31. The combination of these two platforms poses an existential threat to Ukraine, as its current crop of anti-missile defense systems are useless against this class of weapon. The attack on the A-50U has implications for how the war in Ukraine is being prosecuted today, as well as how Russia will continue to deploy its most valuable air force assets in Belarus.