There seem to be two stories about An-72R/An-88, one being that it was an AWACS project, one that it was some kind of recce machine with SLAR.
It seems unlikely to be SLAR if, as suggested, the radar panels are on both sides of the fuselage - as a standoff SLAR recce aircraft you would only want the radar on one side.
However, An-72R would seem to indicate a recce role.