U.K. Defense Ministry: Loss of aircraft shot down by Wagner Group will negatively impact effectiveness of Russian troops in Ukraine

In its daily intelligence update on Thursday, the U.K. Defense Ministry said that the loss of the Il-22M aircraft that was shot down by Wagner Group fighters during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny on Saturday will likely have a “negative impact on Russian air and land operations” in the war in Ukraine.

The agency noted that Russia’s Air Force has no more than 12 of the planes in its fleet and that they’ve played a “key role in orchestrating Russian forces in their war against Ukraine.”

In the long term, the loss threatens to “undermine Russia’s ability to command and coordinate its forces, particularly during periods of high tempo operations,” said the ministry.