MOSCOW: Russia has lost about ten percent of its aircraft in over two years of war in Ukraine, the head of European forces of the United States has said, weeks ahead of a potential new Moscow offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s military has lost “no capacity at all” in some areas—including its strategic troops, long-range aviation, and space capabilities—despite waging war in Ukraine for over twenty-five months, General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of the US European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, informed the House Armed Services Committee on April 10.
Cavoli said that the air force has lost some aircraft, but only about 10% of their fleet.
According to figures released by the Ukrainian military, Moscow has lost 347 aircraft and another 325 helicopters since February 2022. These losses indicate a significant increase in Russian aircraft losses.
Earlier this year, Kyiv reported an increase in Russian aircraft losses, saying Ukraine’s forces had downed a total of thirteen aircraft, including an advanced A-50 spy plane, in as many days.
Shortly after Kyiv’s statements, the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, evaluated that the spate of aviation losses had nudged Moscow into rolling back its aircraft activity in eastern Ukraine.
Increase in Russian Aircraft Losses
Referring to Kyiv’s reports from February, Nicholas Aucott, a senior military adviser with the British government, said in March that the repeated destruction of war jets is a significant setback for Russia’s war effort.
Available information suggested Russia is losing jets twenty times faster than they can replace them, Aucott added.
General Cavoli further stated that Moscow has put its defense industry on a war footing and may now be able to replenish the losses it has been sustaining in Ukraine.
