The spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on August 16, 2022, that Russia is strengthening its aviation in the war with Ukraine, although it has reduced activity in the sky in the last 3-4 days.
Source: The spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat
According to the spokesman, about 150 departures of enemy aircraft were recorded during the day. At the same time, the number of departures from the Belbek airfield near Sevastopol (occupied Crimea in Ukraine’s south) increased after the explosions at the airfield near Saky.
However, the Air Force of Ukraine records a decrease in the activity of Russian aviation during the last 3-4 days. The enemy most intensively uses assault and bombing aircraft on the front line in Luhansk, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
“Russian aviation can strike the positions of the Armed Forces at extremely low altitudes near front-line cities. If possible, the Ukrainian military shoots her down. The enemy uses Su-25 attack aircraft, Mi-24, Mi-28 and Ka-52 helicopters. During the last day, Ukrainian forces destroyed 3 enemy helicopters.”
Over the entire period since February, the Air Force of Ukraine carried out almost 2,200 airstrikes against the positions of Russian occupiers, in particular, 10 strikes on the enemy from the air in the east and south of Ukraine on August 16.
According to Yuriy Ihnat, the enemy began to use attack, strategic aviation and combat helicopters more often. As of February 24, Russia concentrated 450 military aircraft and 250 helicopters around Ukraine. Even despite the loss of such equipment in Ukraine, Russia has the opportunity to replenish the quantitative composition of aviation. Currently, the Russian Armed Forces have about 430 aircraft and 360 helicopters at airfields in Belarus, Russia, and occupied Crimea.
See also: The most massive Russian shelling of Kharkiv in recent times took place on August 16
