Activists in Belarus report that partisans sabotaged a Russian military airplane

Several explosions occurred at a military airfield in Machulishchy, Belarus, around 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) outside of Minsk, reports BYPOL, an organization of former law enforcement employees in Belarus who work against the current government. Initially, BYPOL activists wrote that the explosions damaged a Russian military transport plane and snow removal equipment. The cause of the explosions was not specified in the first reports.

Later, BYPOL called the events at the airfield sabotage, reporting that a Russian military A-50 early warning aircraft was seriously damaged. “The front and middle section of the aircraft were damaged, as well as avionics and a radar antenna,” said a report from the project.

Alexander Azarov, the leader of BYPOL, told Belarusian publication Nasha Niva, that Belarusian partisans were involved in sabotage at the Machulishchy airfield.

Journalist Anton Motolko and Telegram channel Belarus za MKADom confirmed information about explosions at the airfield. The Telegram channel Belarusky Gayon wrote that the Russian A-50 aircraft “could have sustained some damage as a result of an unidentified object being dropped from a height.” Russian pro-Kremlin war bloggers Yury Kotenok and Semyon Pegov also wrote that the airfield was likely attacked by drones.

The authorities in Belarus and Russia have not commented on the incident. Journalists from Zerkalo contacted emergency services and the defense ministry in Belarus. The Ministry of Emergency situations told the publication that they hadn’t received any information about explosions, and the Ministry of Defense said that “nothing serious happened.”