Ukraine has only a quarter of the necessary air defence equipment. It also needs more than a hundred aircraft to counter Russian aviation.
How many aircraft does Ukraine need to protect itself from Russian attacks?
According to President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we have about 25% of the air defence equipment needed for Ukraine's defence.
Russia currently has air superiority. This limits Ukraine's ability to protect cities and the front line, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs modern fighter jets to be on par with Russia.
In order for Russia not to have air superiority, our fleet should have 120-130 modern aircraft to protect the sky from three hundred Russian aircraft.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
How to seize the initiative in the war for Ukraine
Analysts emphasise that Ukraine will need to deliver powerful blows deep into the territory of Russia, since the aggressor country uses the internal railway network to support the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Even with all the means of air defence, Ukraine is still far from having sufficient capability to cover a huge area.
Therefore, the Ukrainian military needs to attack Russian airbases, bombers and launchers.
In addition, Ukraine also requires its partners to strengthen air defence.
Thus, Ukraine needs not only air defence systems, but its own powerful air force in order to defeat the aviation of the aggressor country, strike Russian bases and stop Russian armored vehicles,’ says the AFP article.
The F-16 fighter jets that some of the US allies in Europe will send to Ukraine will help in this, especially if they are equipped with the appropriate ammunition.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that two Patriot anti-aircraft missile complexes are needed for the defence of Kharkiv.
