Air Force refutes rumors of Belarusian Il-62 crossing into Ukrainian airspace

The reports were based on data from the Flightradar24 service, which suggested the plane entered the airspace of Chernihiv Oblast and later crossed the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. However, the Air Force emphasized that no Belarusian aircraft ever crossed the Ukrainian border.

The agency noted that it forwarded the relevant information to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), which published a refutation that same evening.

The Air Force also explained that Flightradar24 is a civilian commercial flight tracking service and not an official source of airspace information, meaning it does not guarantee absolute data accuracy.

The military assured that they maintain 24/7 combat duty to detect aerial targets both over Ukraine and beyond its borders, and promptly publish information about aerial threats on their official resources.

On June 25, journalist Maksym Savchuk reported that the Flightradar24 service recorded a Belarusian Il-62 cargo plane flying through Ukraine's closed airspace. At the same time, the NSDC's Center for Countering Disinformation stated that this information was false and that the route shown on the tracker was likely the result of a technical error.