During Wagner Group's revolt in June, its mercenaries shot down several Russian military aircraft. The loss of one of Russia's few Il-22M could hinder its air force's ability to operate over Ukraine. Wagner Group's abortive revolt last month didn't just end with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, fleeing the country and its troops being absorbed into the Russian military. The airborne command posts couldn't even communicate directly with air-defense units or with Russian fighters on combat air patrols. Royal Air ForceIndeed, command and control is the Achilles heel of the Russian military, which inherited the rigid command structure of its Soviet predecessor.

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Persons: Wagner Group's, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, NIKITA SHCHYUKIN, Greg L, Davis, Justin Bronk, aren't, Bronk, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, NATO, British Ministry of Defense, Getty, Ukraine, Ministry of Defense, Target, Boeing, Joint STARS, US Air Force, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Ground Forces, CAP, RAF Typhoons, Royal Air Force, US, CNA, Russian Aerospace Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, AFP, Davis Russian, Baltic, Forbes