IL-22M Airborne Command Post Lost

On 23 June 2023, Wagner Group forces attempted a coup against Putin’s government, in so doing, striking serious blows to the psychology and morale of Russia’s elite airborne command and control—so stated the U.K. Defense Ministry in a 29 June report.

The Wagner Group is a Russian state-funded paramilitary organization comprising primarily mercenaries. Effectively a de facto private army loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin, the group operates beyond Russian law and has historically afforded Moscow plausible deniability vis-à-vis military operations abroad.

During their advance north of Rostov-on-Don towards Moscow—a march of some 517-nautical-miles—Wagner forces shot down a high-value Russian IL-22M airborne command post aircraft outside the town of Bugaevka, killing the aircraft’s crew and destroying the aircraft utterly

In its report, the U.K. Defense Ministry set forth: "The loss of this aircraft is likely to have a negative impact on Russian air and land operations. In the short-term the psychological shock of losing a large number of aircrew in this manner will almost certainly damage morale within the Russian Aerospace Force.”

According to the military analysis website Oryx, Wagner forces also destroyed at least five Russian helicopters, including one Mi-35 attack helicopter, a Ka-52 attack helicopter, at least two Mi-8 electronic-warfare helicopters, and one Mi-8 transport helicopter.

The number of crew-members killed in the downing of the IL-22M remains unknown. It is estimated, however, that the day-long coup attempt claimed the lives of as many as 13 Russian fixed- and rotary-wing pilots.

Wagner commander Yevgeny Prigozhin called his move against Putin a “march for justice,” and ascribed need for such to Moscow’s ill treatment of his forces in Ukraine. Prigozhin expressed regret for the loss of Russian soldiers’ lives but deemed the casualties necessary.

In a 26 June posting to his Telegram account, Prigozhin stated: "We regret that we had to hit air assets, but those assets were dropping bombs and launching missile strikes.”

Notwithstanding the destruction of nearly a half-dozen Russian helicopters, the U.K. Ministry of Defense contended the real blow to Moscow lies in the downing of the IL-22M aircraft. The lost plane was one of a fleet of only 12 such aircraft heavily utilized for both airborne command and control, and radio relay tasks.

Airborne command-post versions of 1950s-vintage Russian Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop airliners, Moscow’s IL-M22s “have played a key role in orchestrating Russian forces in their war against Ukraine," the U.K. Defense Ministry remarked. "As high-value assets they have operated within the safety of Russian airspace, far beyond the range of Ukrainian air defense systems."

U.K. defense officials posit the loss of the IL-M22 to Wagner Group forces may obligate Russia to scale back its Ukrainian operations in order to safeguard the remaining fleet.

"This will likely undermine Russia's ability to command and coordinate its forces, particularly during periods of high-tempo operations," the Ministry opined.

In a 27 June address to Russian service personnel, Vladimir Putin acknowledged the loss of the Russian pilots in the service of Russia’s Defense Ministry, national guard, Interior Ministry, Moscow’s intelligence agency, and the Federal Security Services. Putin did not, however, confirm the number of Russian dead, stating merely: "Our comrades-in-arms, pilots, lost their lives while confronting the mutineers. They held their ground and fulfilled their orders and their military duty with honor.”

FMI: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence