2023-07-20 08:00:00
Again and again, the Ukraine calls for western combat aircraft. Now a Ukrainian pilot is emphasizing the plight of his comrades. Half of his troops have already died.
A Ukrainian pilot has said his country’s air force is significantly inferior to Russia’s. The British Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times reports that Ukraine “can’t do anything in the air” against Russia. Again and again there are reports that the inferiority of the air defenses makes the Ukrainian defense in the war against Russia significantly more difficult.
When deployed in Bakhmut, his team has to fight against a much better armed Russia, the pilot goes on to say. Many of his colleagues and he flew a so-called Mil-Mi-8 helicopter of Soviet design. The model was introduced in the late 1960s and is said to be significantly less effective than Russia’s modern helicopter fleet. Some Ukrainians also flew a slightly newer attack helicopter called the Mi-24. In addition, there is also a lack of ammunition, explains the Ukrainian pilot. They would only fly one attack per day because they lack the material for more. Half of his troops died.
Ukraine has only half of its helicopters left
But the problem isn’t just with the helicopters, the pilot told the newspaper. When it comes to fighter jets, too, Ukraine has nothing to oppose Russia’s latest models. “It’s like comparing a Mercedes and a Lada,” said the Ukrainian. A Lada is a Soviet-era Russian car that has a reputation for being a bit out of date. Russia knows that it is superior in the air, the pilot continues.
The Russian air fleet underwent major modernization in the 2000s. It consists of a large number of advanced combat aircraft, such as the Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter. Ukraine’s Mil Mi-8 helicopter was designed for troop transport rather than combat.
British Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Rich Knighton said on Thursday that Ukraine had only around half its helicopters and 78 percent of its fighter jets and bombers left. Russia, on the other hand, still has almost its entire air force at its disposal. According to Knighton, there are 100 Russian aircraft for every 15 Ukrainian aircraft. The dense Ukrainian air defenses, which also operate from the ground, ensure that neither Russia nor Ukraine have sovereignty over the airspace.
Ukraine demands western fighter jets
In early July, however, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with “Bild” that Russia’s superiority in the air was making the Ukrainian offensive significantly more difficult. Russia reportedly used Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters in the Zaporizhia region against the Ukrainian offensive’s tanks and combat vehicles rolling ashore. This was reported by the Financial Times, among others, at the end of June. As a result, the Ukraine initially had to accept significant losses of its tanks.
Ukraine has been demanding the delivery of western fighter jets for months. In addition to more clout, it also hopes to protect its own ground troops and their critical infrastructure.
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