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Rybar reports on Ukrainian successes around west Zaporizhia: The enemy is increasingly attacking deep into Russian territory, striking at logistics centers. The air defense system often works in Melitopol, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces launch drones, including aircraft-type ones. And recently, there have been new reports of attacks in the area of Mariupol. Ukrainian formations are consistently and clearly working against the logistics of the Russian Armed Forces.

MORE: Ukraine’s ability to conduct drone strikes against moving targets over 100 kilometers from the frontline, in areas where Russian forces previously were able to conduct logistics relatively risk-free, will likely achieve partial effects of battlefield air interdiction (BAI) that degrade Russian forces’ ability to conduct future offensive operations, or defend against Ukrainian counterattacks. Ukrainian forces have been intensifying their mid-range strike campaign against Russian GLOCs and military assets in occupied Ukraine since late December 2025 and have markedly increased the intensity and frequency of such strikes since March 2026, and will likely continue to do so. Intensified and sustained Ukrainian BAI efforts at operational depth may support future Ukrainian counterattacks, such as those that liberated large portions of Kupyansk in November 2025 and over 400 square kilometers in southern Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts in early 2026.

The crash of IL-76 near Belgorod. The main information about the crash, as well as the reactions of the two sides and analysts. An IL-76 military transport plane crashed around 11:00 a.m. Moscow time in the Belgorod region. All on board were killed, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russian position The Russian Defense Ministry said there were 65 AFU POWs on board who were being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, 6 crew members and 3 escorts. "Now apparently the exchange is out of the question," said the head of the State Duma defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov. According to the deputy's version, the AFU deliberately shot down Il-76 to disrupt the exchange. The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the crash of IL-76: "The crime was committed by the Kyiv regime, the responsibility will come to everyone." Ukrainian position The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it was "clarifying the information." "Ukrainska Pravda" reported, citing sources in the AFU General Staff, that the IL-76, which was carrying missiles for S-300 systems, was shot down by the Ukrainian military. Later journalists wrote that another source did not confirm this information. Where was the plane flying to? Telegram channel "Blatgorod" published a video taken by eyewitnesses of the fall - it is a place in the center of the village of Yablonevo towards the north. Among the Russian media there are several versions of what happened. Telegram channel "VChK-OGPU" writes that the plane fell immediately after takeoff from the airfield of Belgorod. At the same time, the exchange of POWs was supposed to take place on the border of Belgorod region, writes Shot. However, the Il-76 was flying in the opposite direction, noted Ukrainian OSINT analyst Skrynka Pandori. According to his data, the downed board numbered RA-78830 flew through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea and Iran, disappeared from radar near Syria, and then appeared over Belgorod. All indications are that it was bringing weapons from the East. No indication yet that there might have been prisoners, - writes the analyst. Also edition of "Pepel" state that the IL-76 was moving in the direction from Belgorod; between the place of the alleged missile attack and the place of the fall - a little more than a kilometer. Bild military expert Julian Röpke believes that the Il-76 was landing in Belgorod and crashed after an explosion in the air.

Last night Russia lost with high certainty a Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control plane over the Sea of Azov. Russian channels focused in aviation confirm the loss. The plane costing around 350 million USD was vital for air asset coordination in the entire region. In addition a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M was also hit in this area and signaled mayday, including the attempt for an emergency landing in Anapa, Russia, as well as the request for ambulances. There is no information that the plane arrived at the destination but even if then it was certainly severely damaged. The cause for both incidents are still a matter of speculation, but the fact that two valuable Russian birds got hit at the same time and the same region, make enemy fire the most plausible explanation. #Ukraine #AzovSea