Russia's 'Superior' Air Force Keeps Failing in Ukraine

Russia's air force has been mostly restricted to flying within its own airspace because of the strength of Ukraine's air defenses, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Monday.

The report is the latest example of how Russia's once-vaunted air force has failed to live up to expectations in the Ukraine war.

During the early stages of the conflict following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion in February 2022, many experts predicted his air force would display its might and help Russia secure a quick victory over Ukraine. But the air force has instead remained mostly on the sidelines, even as the Russian ground forces continue to struggle against Kyiv's military.

Guy McCardle, managing editor of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), told Newsweek that despite what the MoD report may lead some to believe, "the Russians actually have a pretty good air force. They just want to keep it in one piece."

In a Monday intelligence update, the MoD wrote that "over the summer, Russian tactical combat aircraft have typically carried out over 100 sorties a day, but these are almost always restricted to operating over Russian-controlled territory due to the threat from Ukrainian air defenses."

The British ministry also noted that Russia's airborne division has not found much success in its efforts to contribute to the fighting on the ground.

"The Russian Air Force continues to consistently deploy considerable resources in support of land operations in Ukraine, but without decisive operational effect," the MoD wrote.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for comment.

The British assessment follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's comments during a Sunday military celebration in which he said his air defenses have taken down more than 5,500 Russian air targets since the start of the war.

Ukraine's leader said Kyiv's forces have intercepted more than 3,500 Russian aircraft, helicopters and missiles, as well as shot down over 2,000 of Moscow's attack drones. Newsweek could not independently verify those numbers.

McCardle said it's important to consider that Russia's military doctrine means it "uses its air forces quite differently than most of the Western world."

"For example, the U.S. uses our air force as an independent entity to attack and destroy specific targets," he said. "Russian doctrine uses its fixed-wing assets mostly to support ground forces."

McCardle explained further, saying that "it's like having two closely matched prizefighters, with one concentrating mostly on going for knockout blows and the other being more calculating and defensive, keeping his arms close to his body and not exposing himself too much."

Putin's military chooses to preserve much of its aircraft, partly because of its opponent's defensive strength.

"Ukrainians have top-notch air defenses provided by the West and would likely knock many Russian fighters out of the sky if they tried to maneuver in contested airspace," McCardle said.

He continued, "The Russians have not been able to adequately enact suppression of enemy air defenses. Because of this, they are keeping their aircraft where they are relatively safe."