Wikipedia is definitely credible trust me bro they’re listening to unbiased UKRAINIAN propaganda instead of conniving Russian propaganda
Wikipedia is definitely credible trust me bro they’re listening to unbiased UKRAINIAN propaganda instead of conniving Russian propaganda
Here's the thing about massive planes like that: they leave a shitton of wreckage that's burning and easily captured on photo or video.
Yet for being such a large and easily identifiable plane, there hasn't been any photos confirming the destruction of said plane
https://twitter.com/search?q=il-76&src=typed_query
You seem to be right so far. There's one photo of a crashed Il-76 but it's from 2014. Another video of a crashed aircraft is featured but it's an AN-26 from Ukraine. The US was willing to go on the record saying two Il-76s were shot down but that's about as close as I've found to confirmation.
did the state dept mention where those IL-76s went down? maybe somewhere near iraq's WMD storage facilities? :bean-think:
See that's the thing. If it were a vague report I'd discount it entirely but they seemed to have a pretty precise understanding of where they went down: Bila Tserkva, 50mi south of Kyiv / Vasylkiv, 25mi south of Kyiv
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FMfu4JEXsAIfYUx?format=jpg&name=900x900
Searching those locations doesn't give any photos either, but Vasylkiv does seem to have an active air war over it: https://twitter.com/i/status/1497523635703238656
I wonder if they really did get them then, but it sure seems like there would be at least some photos of massive wreckage from at least one of them
The liveuamap.com map doesn't seem to indicate whether that area is held by Russia or not. There's an airbase nearby so it would be a priority target at least. I did find video of an Su-25 (https://twitter.com/i/status/1497659200666845186) and Mi-24 (https://twitter.com/i/status/1497650174935642116) getting bonked north of Crimea though. Wouldn't want to be in those fuckers.
I don't understand how or why the US is the one reporting
Just observers I think. There was a flight radar tracking one of the Global Hawk drones watching Russia's fleet in the Black Sea. Presumably they've got the same setup over Ukraine, if not by drone then at least geostationary satellites.
They were up simultaneously over the Black Sea, Romania and Poland. The RAF also had a C135 up over Hungary but I don't know where that is now.
Also on record saying Sadam had WMDs so their word is worth less than the air they waste uttering it
It would be the easiest thing in the world for a couple of Ukrainians to take pictures of a massive crashed Il-76. It would be a big propaganda victory. Yet there are no pictures after a full day?
They crashed into putins bunker in the kremlim and got sensored by 1984 Russia
I wonder they're using "shot down" instead of a less-impressive "forced to land" in this instance?
The two are synonymous if you didn't know. Damaging an aircraft to the point of forcing it to leave is a shoot down.
I think being forced to make a controlled landing is a bit different than crashing in a blazing fireball.
Not in practical operational terms. Planes take a long time to repair, if repairs are even possible. Damaging an aircraft and forcing a landing takes it out of action for so long it's just as good as turning it into a flaming fireball. It achieves the same result.
And the 120 paratroopers inside?
Sadly, they are as disposable as missiles and bombs in this context. It's why war in general is fucked.
Okay
Could've been a mission kill