New Russian Su-35 jets increasingly dominating Ukraine skies, says Kyiv official

Kyiv: Russia-Ukraine war appears to be turning tougher for Kyiv after Moscow has “increased dominance” in the skies with its latest generation fighter jets Su-35. The Ukrainian government fears that its forces “does not have capabilities” to counter the threat Russia could pose with Su-35 jets. Russia has been gaining stronger advantage as it replaces older models of aircraft with the latest Su-35. A ‘real risk’ A report by ABC News quoted a senior Ukrainian government official saying that the newest Su-35s are equipped with “very effective radar and long-distance rockets,” enabling them to attack Ukrainian jets and provide air support for Russian ground troops. Ukraine “does not have capabilities” to counter this threat, the official said. “[Russian] air superiority is a real risk,” he said, adding that more air defence systems from the US and its allies are currently “priority No. 1” for Ukraine. ‘This is a problem’ The report quoted another official of the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led Ukraine government confirming that Russian dominance of the skies over the combat zone was a top issue. An official said Russia has “12 times more aircraft” that Ukraine. “This is a problem. What we keep telling the Americans is that in the end, there is no other solution than to give us [Western] fighter jets,” one of the officials said. Kyiv’s worry comes out loud days after a Western official during a briefing last week said that Russia’s air power in Ukraine is limited by its air defences, including surface-to-air missiles. “We’re not seeing a huge change in that situation,” the official had said. It is to be recalled that so far, the Biden administration has resisted calls to supply war-torn Ukraine with F-16s. Meanwhile, discussions are underway between Kyiv and NATO countries about supply of modern fighter jets. Slovakia, last week, said it had handed over the first four of 11 Soviet-era Mig fighter jets which it had promised to Ukraine. Also, Poland has promised to supply a number of Mig fighter jets to Ukraine. Last week, Russia’s defence ministry said a Russian Su-35 combat plane was scrambled over the Baltic Sea after two US strategic bombers flew in the direction of the Russian border. The fighter jet, however, returned to base after the US planes mover away from Russian territory.

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