Commander of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade: Ukraine currently has more combat aircraft than it did before the invasion

21 February, 2024 Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force. Frame from the video Voice of America The Ukrainian Air Force has significantly increased the number of combat aircraft since the full-scale invasion.

Yevhen Bulatsik, commander of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, reported on this. "At the moment, we have much more of them than we had at the time of the full-scale invasion," Yevhen Bulatsyk noted. The officer emphasized that this was due to the engineering and technical staff, who continued to repair the aircraft under any conditions.

"All crews are prepared to perform tasks day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions," added Yevhen Bulatsyk.

Yevhen Bulatsyk and the Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force. Frame from the Voice of America video

However, Yevhen Bulatsyk noted that Ukrainian aircraft lack weapons. "I don't mean the equipment, but the means of destruction, in particular, air power.

This combination of capabilities, albeit a smaller number of precision weapons, prevails over the mass of inaccurate weapons," the commander shared. He noted that Russia's aircraft industry is much better developed than Ukraine's, and they were able to modernize their existing fleet of Soviet-era aircraft. "Due to the sanctions, the pace of production of their new aircraft has slowed down, so they are focusing more on modernizing the old fleet," Bulatsyk said.

Yevhen Bulatsyk and the Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Frame from the Voice of America video

In 2022-2023, the Allies transferred about a dozen Soviet-era planes and helicopters to Ukraine.

Slovakia handed over the largest number of fighter jets to Ukraine, 13 MiG-29s for Kyiv, the transfer of which was completed on April 17.

MiG-29 of the Slovak Air Force.

Photo credits: Lukasz Rownicki/jetphotos.com

At the same time, Ukraine will receive the first F-16 fighter jets in 2024, but it all depends on the results of the training of Ukrainian pilots.