The air confrontation has become increasingly intense following the intensified Russian offensive efforts, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demanding more Patriot air defences from Western allies, according to The Washington Post.
Footage of the destruction of two Ukrainian Soviet Union-designed MiG-29 fighters at Aviatorske Airbase in Dnipropetrovsk Region, as well as the destruction of the S-300 air defence missile system (ADMS), has surfaced on social media.
The footage shows Russian strikes hitting two Ukrainian MiG-29s, as well as aircraft armaments, despite the efforts of Ukrainian air defences.
Another footage circulating on social media reveals the destruction of an S-300 ADMS launch platform:
To counter Russian sky pressure, the Ukrainian authorities have long been asking the West for deliveries of F-16 fighter jets. However, experts argue that the arrival of the jets is unlikely to change the situation in the air, as the Russian army has demonstrated a high degree of adaptability to changing combat conditions.
F-16 supply issues
In September 2023, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren promised to send fighter jets to Ukraine in 2024, according to Politico. In the autumn of the same year, Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder promised to deliver F-16s to Kyiv in 2025.
However, the Ukrainian authorities explained back in late January why the fighter jets promised by the Western allies had not yet arrived in the country. An adviser to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Air Force command, Yuriy Ignat, stated that the Ukrainian command was afraid to store large stocks of missiles for air defence systems on its territory as they could be destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces.
Denmark, which has also promised to help Ukraine with F-16s, announced plans in late March to sell 24 of its combat aircraft to Argentina, leaving Kyiv with fewer potential fighter jets. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that his country had no plans for any NATO state, but that if F-16s were delivered to Ukraine, they would be shot down.
As the Ukraine-Russia conflict enters its third year, the situation remains tense. Former US President and candidate for the highest office, Donald Trump, is urging Europe to rely on its own efforts to support Ukraine. Meanwhile, Slovak initiative groups are already starting to collect aid in spite of the objection by the authorities.
Slovakia’s prime minister says the West’s policy of arming Ukraine is only prolonging the conflict. Instead, Kyiv should lay down its arms and demand peace with Moscow, he argued.
