The Russian military has destroyed nine Ukrainian fighter jets within 24 hours.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) made this announcement in a July 2 post on its Telegram channel, with accompanying footage. According to the ministry, Russian forces launched a major attack on the Myrhorod Air Base in the country's central Poltava province. The attack on the air base destroyed and damaged seven Ukrainian fighter jets in total.
"As a result of the Russian army's strike, five active Su-27 multi-purpose fighters were destroyed and two under repair were damaged," the MOD said in its Telegram post. Meanwhile, two other fighter jets were destroyed mid-air by Russian air defenses, with the Russian state-owned news agency TASS identifying the downed planes as a MiG-29 and a Su-27. All in all, Russian forces took out nine Ukrainian fighter jets – delivering a serious blow to Kyiv's war effort.
A Ukrainian official also confirmed the strike on the Myrhorod Air Base and described how it transpired. However, he claimed that Moscow exaggerated the extent of damage to the military facility. Col. Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman of the Air Force Command under the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said: "There are losses, but not at all like the enemy claims because they always do this since the beginning of the invasion."
Ihnat also told Reuters that Russian reconnaissance drones played a key role in the attack on the air base. These drones, he added, presented a "very serious threat" as they were able to spot the Ukrainian aircraft parked on the ground.
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"[The drones] fly and report everything in real-time, and then [the] Iskander [missile] arrives in a couple of minutes," the military spokesman said. "It is obvious."
July 2 attack a follow-up to earlier strikes
The July 2 attack was a continuation of an earlier strike. On June 27, the Russian Defense Ministry said it struck airbases in Ukraine ostensibly set up to eventually house F-16 fighter jets supplied by the West.
According to the MOD, the June 27 strike utilized "long-range sea-based weapons, the Kinzhal hypersonic missile and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)" to attack the "airfield infrastructure of Ukraine, planned to accommodate aircraft from Western countries."
"The goal of the strike has been achieved. All designated targets have been hit," said the ministry. However, it did not specify the number of airfields that were struck or their locations. (Related: Russia warns all airfields hosting Kyiv’s F-16 fighter jets are legitimate targets – even if they aren’t in Ukraine.)
The June 27 attack comes as Kyiv's Western backers – including the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway – have pledged to provide Ukraine with as many as 60 F-16 fighter jets by the end of the year. None of the jets have yet been supplied, however.
Deliveries have been delayed as Ukrainian pilots are still learning to operate the jets, according to Russia Today. Even though they complete their training by the end of the year, Kyiv will only have a "handful" of pilots for the F-16s. Moreover, Ukraine doesn't have enough maintenance crews to service the jets.
Also on July 2, TASS reported that the Russian military has destroyed 625 Ukrainian warplanes; 276 helicopters; 27,121 UAVs and 525 surface-to-air missile systems since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Russian forces have also destroyed 16,478 tanks and other armored combat vehicles; 1,362 multiple rocket launchers' 11,215 field artillery guns and mortars; and 23,328 special military motor vehicles.
"These huge losses on the Ukrainian side have resulted in Ukrainian officials essentially begging for more arms and equipment from [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] countries at a faster rate," TASS concluded.
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Watch this clip of Russian forces striking military aircraft and military installations in Ukraine's central Poltava region.
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