Ukrainian air defense in frontline areas is not strong enough to block the work of russian aircraft. This leads to significant losses among the Ukrainian military and allows the aggressor to quickly seize new territories with air support.
This is stated in the russian Offensive Campaign Assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian News Agency reports.
The report cites videos of russian military bloggers demonstrating how russian Su-25 and Su-34 planes strike low-altitude Defense Forces positions near the city of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Region. According to the bloggers, russian aviation has allowed the invaders to advance relatively quickly in the area since late March.
ISW experts note that the ability of russian aircraft to operate at a distance of more than 100 kilometers deep into Ukrainian airspace near the front line without significant losses indicates that the Ukrainian air defense in this area is currently not strong enough to deter or prevent the operation of russian aircraft.
"The Ukrainian capability to conduct long-range strikes to down Russian strategic aircraft conducting combat operations may temporarily constrain Russian aviation operations as the previous downing of tactical aircraft has achieved. This Ukrainian strike capability, however, is unable to compensate for Ukraine’s critical air defense shortages across the theater,” the report says.
The ISW notes that Ukrainian forces still must husband materiel and prioritize allocating its limited air defense assets to some areas of the theater over others at great expense, allowing russian aviation to support more consistent and rapid gains on the ground, including near Chasiv Yar.
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