Russian forces have downed two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets in the past day, Moscow's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday. This statement followed Kyiv's reports of several enemy aircraft losses over the war-torn country.
The Russian government confirmed that two Ukrainian jets were "shot down" by anti-aircraft systems, though it did not provide additional details. According to updated figures from Russia's Defense Ministry, Ukraine has lost a total of 609 aircraft and 274 helicopters since February 2022.
Newsweek has not independently verified Russia's claims and has reached out to the Ukrainian military for comment via email.
Ukraine's aging Soviet-era fleet has faced Russia's more numerous and advanced aircraft for more than two years. At the end of 2023, Ukraine's air force had approximately 24 MiG-29 jets, known by their NATO moniker, Fulcrum, in operation, according to the U.K.-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Ukraine has long requested Western-made F-16 fighter jets to replace its losses and upgrade its capabilities, and several allies pledged to provide these jets last year.
The exact timeline for when Ukraine will have the Lockheed Martin-made F-16s operational remains unclear, with projections being vague and subject to change. The jets are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Kyiv needs between 120 and 130 F-16s to effectively combat Russia's fleet. However, the number of jets pledged falls significantly short of this requirement.
Before any Western countries agreed to provide F-16s, Ukraine received additional MiG-29s from Poland and Slovakia.
Like Moscow, Kyiv has targeted high-value assets such as aircraft throughout the war. In a separate statement on Saturday, Ukraine's government reported that its forces had "destroyed" nine Russian jets throughout May 2024.
Reports from Kyiv's military and media, as well as Russian sources, indicated that Russia lost a number of aircraft over Ukraine in mid-May. Ukraine's 110th Mechanized Brigade, operating in the eastern part of the country, was credited by officials with downing several Russian Su-25 jets in the Donetsk region throughout May. Despite a new Russian offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, fighting has continued in Donetsk.
In mid-April, General Christopher Cavoli, the head of Washington's European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, stated that Russia had lost around a tenth of its aircraft stock in Ukraine.
As of Sunday morning local time, Ukraine's armed forces reported that Russia had lost a total of 357 aircraft since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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