Analysis: Russia Invaded Ukraine But Didn’t Rule the Sky

On May 9, the date on which Russia commemorates its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the government of President Vladimir Putin held a grand military parade. At the event, however, one detail caught the eye: Russian Air Force planes were missing. And they are lacking, too, in the skies of Ukraine.

Footage from the conflict shows Russian fighter jets flying over eastern Ukraine at very low altitude. In this situation, the jets perform a classic move in this type of military operation, which is to provide direct support to troops on the ground.

The problem with this type of air operation is that the planes are being forced to fly very low not only because that, in a way, makes them better able to assist the troops on the ground, but because they cannot face a good part of the anti-aircraft defenses. from Ukraine.

Another video reveals the moment a surface-to-air missile hits a Russian aircraft that was flying close to this defense system.

The Russians also failed to prevent the Ukrainian Air Force from acting. Images captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) show two Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jets in a well-executed night attack on Cobras Island, which was occupied by the Russians. In other words, the forces led by President Volodymyr Zelensky are not only using anti-aircraft defense, but they are also using their own planes in attacks on the ground occupied after February 24 (beginning of the war) by the Russians.

Since Ukraine was invaded, Russia has lost 26 planes to Ukraine’s 20. Among helicopters, the difference is even greater: 41 losses on the Russian side and six on the Ukrainian side.

Drones have also been important in this war. In another video posted online, a soldier throws a grenade at another combatant. He receives information about the exact position of the opponent from the drone. There is also a record of a situation where a Russian drone fires the grenade directly at a Russian military.