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Several Russian Beriev A-50 military spy planes are based near Minsk, Belarus. Belarusian opposition activists claim to have blown up one of the planes. Photo/Planet Labs Pbc/REUTERS
GENEVA – Government Belarus said statements by anti-government activists had blown up the Beriev A-50 military spy plane Russia near Minsk is a false claim.
Belarusian anti-government activist group Bypol earlier claimed it blew up a Moscow spy plane with a two-drone strike over the weekend at an airfield near Minsk.
The leader of Bypol, Aliaksandr Azarov, blamed Belarusian “partisans” as the perpetrators. But he did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
Also read: Belarusian activists claim to blow up Russian A-50 spy plane
“Given the absence of official reaction, I firmly believe that this is another false (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security,” Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters on Tuesday (28/2/2023). on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to launch an attack on Ukraine, but has so far refrained from engaging directly in the war.
The A-50 aircraft is designated by NATO as the Mainstay and is an airborne early warning aircraft with command and control capability (AWACS) and the ability to track up to 60 targets at once.
Reached by telephone on Monday, Azarov told Reuters the operation, which reportedly caused serious damage to the Russian plane, had been planned for several months and that the “partisans” would try to carry out more actions in the future.
Members of the Bypol organization include former law enforcement officers who support opposition politicians. The organization has been designated a terrorist organization by President Alexander Lukashenko’s government.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on claims that a Russian A-50 spy plane was blown up by Belarusian anti-government activists in a strike by two drones.
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