With just one strike, Russia was able to shoot down several Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets left in the open at a military base, writes Forbes magazine.
This is perhaps the most expensive mistake of the Ukrainian armed forces since the beginning of the war. Kiev simply cannot afford such a loss. Military bloggers have sharply criticized the country's military leadership and the officers responsible for maintaining these aircraft.
„Wars have been fought for millions of years, but the sheep learn nothing,” wrote one of them. It all happened on Monday, when a Russian reconnaissance drone spotted six Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets at the Air Force Base in Myrhorod (Poltava Region), not far from the Russian border.
Russia immediately took advantage and struck with “Iskander”. Two of the fighters were destroyed and the other four were damaged.
The attack on Myrhorod is just the latest episode in a series of Russian strikes on vulnerable Ukrainian air bases. Earlier, Russian drones shot down at least four Ukrainian planes at the Dolgintsevo air base near Kryvyi Rih. Before that, strikes on the MiG-29 and Su-25 were also reported.
In the last 9 months alone, Ukraine has lost five Su-27 fighter jets this way: not in air combat, but while grounded at their base. These are losses that Ukraine simply cannot afford.
The Ukrainian Air Force entered the war in February 2022 with about 125 Su-27, Su-25, MiG-29 and others. In 28 months of persistent fighting, the Ukrainians lost about 90 aircraft.
Ukrainian forces have come under fire for strikes like the one in Myrhorod. Analysts claim that sometimes we are simply talking about negligence on the part of Ukrainian officers.
Interestingly, Russian planes are just as vulnerable because the Russians also leave them out in the open at their bases. The big problem for Kiev comes from the fact that the US does not allow strikes on military bases on Russian territory. Zelensky is already asking the Western countries to remove this ban as well.