Russian air activity over Ukraine has reduced over the past week after the Russian military suffered significant aircraft losses, Yuri Ihnat, the Air Force's spokesperson, confirmed in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda on March 3.
Official reports indicate that 13 Russian warplanes were downed in February, with three Su-34 attack planes reportedly shot down on Feb. 29 alone.
The downed aircraft in February include 10 Su-34 fighter bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and one rare A-50 military spy plane.
Russia also lost two A-50 spy planes in January and February. After the second loss, Russia has likely halted flying such aircraft in support of military operations in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its March 2 report.
Yet another Su-34 was downed on March 2 while reportedly trying to attack Ukrainian positions on the eastern front with guided aerial bombs, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ihnat attributed this success to air defense systems supplied by Ukraine's allies.
"The means of resistance provided to Ukraine by Western partners demonstrate their effectiveness. This is evidenced by the number of enemy aircraft shot down in February," Ihnat told Ukrainska Pravda.
"The current task is to secure the front-line territories from the enemy's use of guided aerial bombs."
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk also wrote on his official Telegram channel on March 2 that although Russian drones remained active in the south the airspace over eastern Ukraine was clear.
Russia's total aircraft losses since the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022 include 347 aircraft and 325 helicopters, according to the March 3 update from the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
