Ukraine has taken out 14 Russian jets in two weeks, according to figures from Kyiv's air force, taking punishing losses to its aerial fleet even as Moscow's ground forces push westward across the frontlines in the war-torn country.
On Saturday, Ukraine's air force said it had downed a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber, just one day after Kyiv said it had taken out another Su-34 close to the Russian-controlled southern city of Mariupol at around 9 a.m. local time.
On Thursday, Kyiv said its air force had destroyed 10 Su-34s and two Su-35s since February 17. Ukraine also destroyed an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft on February 23. The prized—and costly—A-50 aircraft help Russia coordinate attacks with Russian fighter jets.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Although Russia's air force is far larger and more advanced than Ukraine's, the reported losses are bruising for the Kremlin. The downing of double-digit numbers of jets in a handful of weeks is a sharp contrast to the territorial gains Russia has secured with its ground forces in recent weeks, including the capture of the strategic Donetsk city of Avdiivka on the eastern frontlines.
Western assessments this weekend suggest Russia has advanced along the northeastern frontlines, west and south of the Moscow-controlled city of Kreminna, as well as west of Avdiivka, and against Ukrainian forces close to the Dnieper River in Ukraine's southern Kherson region.
Along with a loss of expensive and valuable aircraft, Russia will also have lost vital expertise when pilots are killed as the jets come down.
But "Russian forces appear to be willing to risk continued aviation losses in pursuit of tactical gains in eastern Ukraine," the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), evaluated on Saturday.
Moscow is likely attempting to re-impose air superiority around Avdiivka to support its tactical advances, judging that "continued offensive operations with air support outweigh the risk of losing more aircraft," the think tank said in its latest assessment.
Russia likely has around 300 Sukhoi fighter aircraft, including Su-34 and Su-35 models, the think tank added.
Moscow has avoided deploying any of its remaining A-50s around the Sea of Azov in recent days, according to Ukrainian air force spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ignat, who suggested Russian fighter jets needed to "fly closer" to their targets to drop aerial bombs.
Russia ramped up its use of glide bombs to capture Avdiivka, overwhelming Ukrainian defenses in the former stronghold ahead of Kyiv's withdrawal in mid-February.
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About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
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