- Jonathan Beale
- BBC Defense Correspondent
image source, Getty Images
Ukrainian forces are shooting down Russian planes, and military analysts believe there is evidence that weapons recently supplied by the West are already being used.
The Ukrainian military released several videos showing Russian helicopters shot down by surface-to-air missiles.
One, from last week, shows a Russian helicopter flying low, just above the tree line, in an attempt to avoid what will happen next.
Following him is the smoky trail of a surface-to-air missile. Within seconds the missile has found its target. Upon impact, the Russian helicopter crashes to the ground, then explodes in a ball of fire.
The Ukrainian forces are shooting down Russian planes and military analysts believe there is evidence that the weapons recently supplied by the West are already being used.
Justin Bronk, an air force researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in the UK, says there has been visual confirmation of at least 20 Russian planes shot down in Ukraine so far, both helicopters and jets.
That is significantly less than the Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims, which says it has shot down 48 Russian planes and 80 helicopters. However, even the lowest number shows that Russia had difficulties to gain supremacy in heaven.
Ukraine has also suffered losses. But UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC that Russia has so far been unsuccessful in destroying the country’s air defenses and air force.
western weapons
Before the war began, Ukraine’s military aircraft were outnumbered at least three to one for those that were accumulated at the border by Russia.
Wallace said Ukraine’s ability to keep some of its air defenses intact was already forcing Russian planes to fly at night to avoid detection.
image source, Getty Images
Shoulder-launched air defense missiles, also known as manpads (man-portable air defense systems) are just one of the weapons Western nations have been supplying to Ukraine.
They include surface-to-air missiles. Stinger made in the United States, the scourge of Soviet aircraft during its occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Exact numbers are hard to come by. Last week, Wallace told the BBC that the West had delivered “thousands” of anti-tank weapons and “more than a thousand” Stingers.
CNN, citing a US defense official, put the total at 17,000 anti-tank weapons and 2,000 Stingerssent by the US and NATO allies.
The UK and US had provided weapons to Ukraine before the invasion began on February 24, with the UK delivering 2,000 light anti-tank missiles (NLAWS).
Commenting on reports that they were already being used to destroy Russian armored columns, Wallace said: “We have anecdotal evidence to verify that.”
However, most countries only started shipping weapons in response to the Russian invasion. Total, 14 nations have supplied weapons, including Sweden and Finland, which have a long history of neutrality and are not members of NATO. But both countries have shipped thousands of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
image source, Getty Images
Military personnel in Ukraine teach a civilian how to handle weapons.
Germany has supplied 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles. The Baltic states have also handed over thousands of weapons, including Stinger and Javelin missiles, one of the world’s most effective anti-tank weapons with a range of 2.5 km. Ukraine says it has already successfully destroyed several Russian T-72 tanks.
Recent arms deliveries also include tens of thousands of assault rifles and machine guns, anti-tank mines and hundreds of tons of ammunition, as well as bulletproof vests and helmets, and medical supplies.
How are the weapons arriving?
UK says it is helping to ‘facilitate’ deliveries of these weapons. Western officials, however, do not give details of how the supplies are arriving.
But it is no secret that while Russia’s military operations have been focused on eastern Ukraine, the flow of people and supplies from the west of the country has continued through neighboring European states.
The BBC spoke to the defense ministries of Estonia, Sweden and Denmark, who confirmed that their arms supplies were traced and successfully reached Ukraine in recent weeks.
So how much of a difference are these arms shipments making?
Western-supplied weapons can Make a Differencebut only if Ukraine continues to have armed forces capable of using them.
Bronk says Ukraine’s ability to retain some of its older Soviet-era air defense systems, which have longer ranges, has forced Russian planes to fly lower.
image source, Getty Images
But that makes them more vulnerable to short-range surface-to-air missiles supplied by the West.
Without those longer-range air defense systems, Russian planes would be able to fly higher to avoid the dangers of shorter-range air defenses.
Meanwhile, the US and European allies are seeking to increase their arms supplies to Ukraine. There may be a limited window of opportunity before Russia attempts to attack any weapons supply lines.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he has had talks with Poland regarding supplying Russian-made Mig fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force. Even if that happened, Ukraine would still need trained pilots to fly them.
Western arms supply helps, but still you need an army that knows how to use them.
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