The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its forces had downed two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets within the last 24 hours.
This statement came shortly after Kyiv reported a series of aircraft losses over the conflict-ridden nation. According to the Russian government, the Ukrainian jets were taken down by anti-aircraft systems, although no additional details were provided.
In a recent tally, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that since February 2022, Ukraine has lost a total of 609 aircraft and 274 helicopters. For over two years, Ukraine's outdated, Soviet-era fleet has been at odds with Russia's larger and more technologically advanced aircraft. As reported by the U.K.-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine's air force had approximately 24 MiG-29 jets, also recognized by their NATO designation, in operation by the end of 2023.
Ukraine has been seeking Western-made F-16 fighter jets to replace its losses and enhance its capabilities, a request that several of its allies pledged to fulfill last year. However, the exact timeline for when Ukraine will have the Lockheed Martin-manufactured jets operational remains uncertain, with expected arrival dates in the country being in the forthcoming weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Kyiv requires between 120 and 130 F-16s to counter Russia's fleet. However, the number of promised jets falls significantly short of this requirement. Prior to any Western countries agreeing to supply F-16s, Ukraine received additional MiG-29s from Poland and Slovakia.
Throughout the war, Kyiv, like Moscow, has aimed at high-value assets such as aircraft. In a separate statement on Saturday, the Ukrainian government reported that its forces had "destroyed" nine Russian jets throughout May 2024. Both Ukrainian military and media reports, as well as Russian sources, suggested in mid-May that Russia had lost a number of aircraft over Ukraine.
Officials credited Ukraine's 110th Mechanized Brigade, operating in the eastern part of the country, with downing several Russian Su-25 jets throughout May in the Donetsk region. This region continues to experience intense fighting despite a new Russian offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
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 approximately 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 onset of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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