AIR PRESSURE

Russia Has Already Lost Twice as Many Aircraft in Ukraine than in 10-Year Afghan War—Intel

The Soviet-Afghan War lasted 10 years. The invasion of Ukraine has only been raging for eight months.

Russia’s loss of aircraft in Ukraine is likely much faster than their ability to manufacture new ones, according to a damning British intelligence report released Monday. The military update cited comments made by Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, claiming that Russia has already lost over twice the number of aircraft in Ukraine than in the Soviet-Afghan War, with some 278 aircraft allegedly destroyed in Ukraine compared with 119 in the 1979-1989 conflict 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 defense zones,” the British defense ministry said. “This is unlikely to change in the next few months. Russia’s aircraft losses likely significantly outstrip their capacity to manufacture new airframes. The time required for the training of competent pilots further reduces Russia’s ability to regenerate combat air capability.”

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Dan Ladden-HallBreaking News Editor

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