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Ukraine’s Fly Zone
We are flying towards a favorable airpower imbalance
Not one, but five.
An escalating pattern of strikes, deep inside Russian occupied territory.
On December 22, 2023, three Russian Su-34s were downed. Despite Ukraine intentionally withholding information about the Su-34s’ last known location, the resonance was so pronounced in Russian telegram channels that it likely reached Russian forces stationed along the banks of the Dnipro River near Krynky.
One Su-34 costs a whopping 50 million dollars.
Two days later, another Su-34 was downed. But this time it was deep. Way too deep. Near Mariupol which is way behind the frontline. On the same day, Ukraine had also brought down a Su-30 over the black sea.
While instances of Russian jets being downed by Ukrainian air defenses are not uncommon, the frequency and depth of these incidents are slowly increasing.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 25 that every Russian pilot must “make a clear choice” whether to continue fighting in the war because Ukraine’s air defense would “only get stronger.”
Since December 1, Russia has been relentlessly attacking Ukraine with Iranian made Shahed drones. This strategy suggests that Russia may be attempting to gauge…
