TOP THREATS TO UKRAINIAN AIRCRAFT IN DONBASS

Despite the air dominance of Russian forces, the Ukrainian Air Forces continue their desperate attempts to use military aircraft for strikes both in the combat zone in the Donbass and on the territory of Russia. The Ukrainian Air Force suffers not only from a shortage of aircraft, but also from a lack of professional military personnel. Ukrainian pilots often die in the incidents, as they are forced to fly at low altitude due to the work of Russian air defenses. According to a report of the Russian Defense Ministry published on January 8, Russian fighters shot down five Ukrainian aircraft in one day. A Ukrainian Su-27 fighter was shot down in the Lozove area of the Kharkiv region. An Su-24 frontline bomber was shot down in the Izyum area. Two Su-25 attack aircraft were shot down in the areas of Nikolaypole and Novy Donbass; and a MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in the Veseloye area. Losses are increasing due to incompetent actions by Ukrainian servicemen. On January 7, a Ukrainian MiG-29 was mistakenly shot down by the Ukrainian Osa air defense system in the area of the city of Kurakhovo, which is located in the DPR and remains under control of the Ukrainian military. The footage of the incident showed that the downed plane was equipped with a US-made HARM anti-radar missile. According to the livery of the aircraft, it belonged to the Ukrainian Falcons aerobatic team which was created in 1995. The group was disbanded in 2002 due to lack of funding and the tragedy at the air show in Sknilov near Lviv, where 77 spectators died in the accident. After the outbreak of hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, the lack of aviation forced the Ukrainian military to restore these aircraft. On April 16, 2014, Air Forces of Ukraine staged an intimidation operation in the sky over Kramatorsk. Then a fully armed MiG-29 flew at a very low altitude over the crowds of people who blocked the railway tracks. The impromptu “air show” was staged by one of the Ukrainian Falcons. So far, the team of Ukrainian Falcons has already lost several aircraft in hostilities. The professional actions of Russian pilots also pose a great threat to Ukrainian aviation. According to Russian sources, on December 30, a Russian Su-35S fighter jet broke a record in the modern history of combat aviation, shooting down two Ukrainian planes and two helicopters in one sortie, using only four missiles. A Ukrainian Su-24 and MiG-29 aircraft and two Mi-8 helicopters were shot down in two hours. According to Russian military officials, a total of 360 aircraft and 199 helicopters of Ukraine have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation.