Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine have faced yet another challenge as two Russian combat planes, an Su-34 and an Su-25, were reportedly shot down within a span of 72 hours. The loss, which was reported by the Fighterbomber Telegram channel linked to the Russian Aerospace Forces, marks a continued pattern of heavy casualties for Russia’s air force since the war’s inception in February 2022.
“Zhenia and Volodia. Experienced, trained, combat crew. They died in battle, died like warriors,” the channel mourned, highlighting the human cost to Russian forces. The defeat adds to a grim tally acknowledged by Ukraine’s defense ministry in February, stating that six Russian fighter jets were downed in just three days.
The confirmation of these losses came from President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, who in a nightly video address praised Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade for downing “another Russian Su-25” in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. “Good job, guys!” Zelensky extolled, although he didn’t provide further details.
Ukraine’s military prowess in the sky is not new, as reports of Russian aircraft being targeted have been frequent. General Christopher Cavoli of the U.S.’s European Command even told U.S. lawmakers that Moscow had lost approximately 10 percent of its aircraft fleet in the war. Independent open-source intelligence defense analysis by the website Oryx corroborates significant Russian losses, visually confirming the destruction of 100 Russian aircraft and damage to nine others since the full-scale war began. Ukraine’s Armed Forces also reported staggering losses for Russia, with a claimed total of 349 aircraft downed.
However, these figures from Kyiv have not been independently verified and tend to exceed estimates from Western allies. Moscow, for its part, rarely discloses information on its casualties or equipment losses, maintaining a tight grip on such sensitive data.
In a broader perspective on Russia’s military strategy, the losses reflect upon Russia’s inability to achieve air superiority in the conflict, as suggested by the U.K. Ministry of Defence in January. This development points towards a significant challenge for Moscow, which once considered air dominance an achievable goal in the region.
The battlefield dynamics underscore the technological and strategic adjustments being made by both sides. Ukraine’s success in the air has been attributed to its possession of advanced anti-aircraft systems such as the Norwegian NASAMS and the US-manufactured Patriot missile systems, which can engage enemy jets within substantial ranges.
In January, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Ukraine’s success in downing Russian aircraft in the war indicated that Russia is not capable of achieving air superiority in the conflict.
Relevant articles:
– Russia Rues Loss of Two Combat Planes in Just 72 Hours, Newsweek, 05/08/2024
– Speeding Toward Ukrainian Lines On Two Wheels, Russia’s Motorcycle Troops Got ‘Beaten In The Teeth’, Forbes, 05/07/2024
– Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin more confident than ever after inauguration speech; plot to ‘kill Zelenskyy’ stopped, Sky News, 05/07/2024
– Russia’s fighter pilots are ‘no longer so impudent’ after Ukraine’s kill streak, says air force, Yahoo Singapore News, 05/07/2024
– Russia-Ukraine war: Belarus to hold tactical nuclear drills; Kyiv detains two Ukrainian officials over plot to kill Zelenskiy – as it happened, The Guardian, 05/07/2024