Russian Air Force ‘changed the way of fighting’ in Ukraine
Military experts and US officials say that the Russian Air Force is increasing 50% flights per day and sending more UAVs and weapons to Ukraine.
Washington Post On March 23, citing US defense officials and military experts as an assessment Russia increased air activity in Ukraine after it was shot down by many military aircraft, while the US and its allies sent thousands of portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) to Kiev.
A senior US defense official said on March 21 that the Russian Air Force had sorted about 300 times in 24 hours, an increase of 100 times compared to the number of the previous daily sorties.
“It is very likely that the Russian Air Force has adjusted the way they conduct operations,” said Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at the Virginia-based think tank CNA.
According to Kofman, Ukraine appears to have concentrated its air defense systems in certain locations such as the capital Kiev and the second largest city Kharkov. This allows Russia to “comfortably” deploy more air strikes around the southern port city of Mariupol, where heavy fighting is ongoing.
Russian Su-25 aircraft during military exercises in Kyrgyzstan in September 2021. Photo: Reuters.
Ukraine’s MANPADS pose a challenge to Russian helicopters and aircraft, but Moscow appears to have responded by avoiding their reach. A senior US defense official said many Russian warplanes never left Russian or Belarusian airspace.
US officials have repeatedly said that Russia has carried out air strikes against Ukraine from outside Ukrainian airspace, including an attack on a military training center in Yavoriv, western Ukraine. Other Russian warplanes only briefly entered Ukrainian airspace.
According to a Pentagon official, Russia has yet to gain air superiority over Ukraine, which surprised analysts because they expected Russia to do so soon.
Former US officer Rob Lee, now a senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, said Russia primarily operates Su-25 attack aircraft and helicopters in southern Ukraine. Russia also operates a more advanced Su-35 fighter than Belarus, with the capability to shoot down Ukrainian aircraft and drones.
According to Kofman, a number of other Russian weapons systems, which did not initially appear in military operations in Ukraine, are increasingly appearing, including the Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone.
Russia’s Kinzhal hypersonic missile hits a target in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine on March 19. Videos: Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on March 19 that it had used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for the first time against a base in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in eastern Ukraine. A day later, Moscow announced the continuation of Kinzhal’s fire on a fuel depot near the village of Kostyantynivka in the southwest of Mykolaiv province.
Experts have identified the Kinzhal hypersonic missile from Russia will not contribute to changing the battlefield situation in Ukrainebecause Moscow doesn’t have too many missiles of this type to strike regularly.
Russia has been carrying out a military operation in Ukraine since February 24 and the fighting between the two sides remains tense, with no sign of abating. Moscow and Kiev have held several rounds of negotiations since the outbreak of the conflict, but have only reached agreement on the issue of a corridor for evacuating civilians, and failed to reach a ceasefire breakthrough.
The emergence of the Ukrainian battlefield after almost a month of fighting. graphic: NY Times.
Ngoc Anh (Based on Washington Post)
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