Russians ready to sacrifice planes to advance on Avdiivka direction

Russians are ready to lose planes for victories on the Avdiivka direction (photo: wikipedia.org)

Russian aggressors are ready to risk their aircraft to maintain a tactical advantage in the Avdiivka direction, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

It is noted that recent losses of Russian aircraft over two weeks have prompted the aggressors to temporarily reduce aviation activity across Ukraine. However, the increase in the number of losses of Russian aircraft in recent weeks has not yet led the Russian forces to significantly reduce the activity of tactical aviation.

According to the ISW assessment, in the days following the capture of Avdiivka, Russian forces temporarily established a limited and local air superiority.

“Russian forces are likely attempting to reestablish this limited and localized air superiority in order to support tactical Russian advances in the Avdiivka direction and have decided that continued offensive operations with air support outweigh the risk of losing more aircraft,” the report says.

According to the ISW, the loss of 15 aircraft and possibly several highly qualified pilots over the past two weeks is not a major loss for the Russian military, given that Russia likely has around 300 Sukhoi fighter aircraft.

Ukrainian Armed Forces are destroying Russian aviation

Over the past two weeks, the Ukrainian Air Force has destroyed a record number of Russian aircraft in such a short period since the start of the full-scale war.

On February 17, the Defense Forces destroyed three Russian aircraft – two Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter, and another Su-34 was landed on February 18.

The following day, defenders shot down two more Russian aircraft in the east. Another Su-34 was landed by the military on February 21.

Additionally, on February 23, over the Azov Sea, the Defense Forces shot down an A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft.

Two more Su-34s were shot down on February 27. On February 29, Ukrainian troops destroyed a Su-34 in the Eastern direction and two more Su-34s in the Avdiivka and Mariupol directions.

On March 1, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed another Su-34, and on March 2, another aircraft of this model was also eliminated.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that no Russian military aircraft have been observed in the east since the evening of March 2.