UK’s MoD says Moscow’s continued lack of air superiority is unlikely to change in the next few months
Russia is losing aircraft in Ukraine at a “significantly” higher rate than it can replace them, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Army, last week said Moscow had lost 278 aircraft in the war – more than twice the 119 the Soviet Union lost over nearly 10 years in Afghanistan.
“Whilst we cannot independently verify these figures, Russia’s continued lack of air superiority is likely exacerbated by poor training, loss of experienced crews, and heightened risks of conducting close air support in dense air defence zones,” the MoD said in its daily intelligence briefing.
“This is unlikely to change in the next few months. Russia’s aircraft losses likely significantly outstrip their capacity to manufacture new airframes,” it said.