Strana 29
that after every Russian attack on Kyiv,
Ukrainian retaliation follows against them.
They have asked why Russia does not first
ensure air defense for its own border cities
before shelling Ukrainian cities.
On the other hand, Ukrainians do not even
need to strike deep into Russian territory.
The Murmansk region in northern Russia was
without power for several days after strong
winds knocked down power line pylons.
Those pylons dated back to the 1960s and had
a service life of 40 years. They had already
been operating a quarter-century beyond their
intended lifespan. The money Russia spends
on one large air raid on Kyiv would have been
enough to repair the power lines and avoid the
problem entirely.
One Sukhoi Less
Aside from mass drone, missile, and cruise
missile attacks, little happened in the air.
During the monitored period, Russia lost
only one aircraft during a combat mission.
On Wednesday, January 28, a Su-34 fighter-
bomber crashed in the Kursk region. Rescue
helicopters were immediately dispatched to
search for the crew, but both pilots were killed.
For some time, reports circulated about the
loss of two aircraft. On the same day, a Russian
Su-30 was said to have disappeared from radar
over the Black Sea near Snake Island. However,
this was not confirmed by neither Russian nor
Ukrainian sources.
Attacks On Decoys?
In the previous month, Ukrainians carried out
a series of successful drone attacks on Russian
airfields in Crimea. As it often happens in this
war, when one side introduces something new,
the other tries to develop countermeasures
while also imitating the enemy’s tactics. This
month, the Russians therefore launched drone
attacks on Ukrainian airfields as well.
Only the attack on a small airfield near the
village of Mala Vyska in the Kirovohrad region
can be described as successful. Russian
drones destroyed a Mi-24 helicopter and
damaged a Mi-8 helicopter there. Video of the
attack was published on Saturday, January 24.
At the end of the month, the Russians also
released videos of BM-35 drone attacks on
the Kanatove airfield in the Kirovohrad region
and Myrhorod airfield in the Poltava region.
However, these can easily be described as
a waste of amunition. In Myrhorod, for example,
two Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets were hit. Both
aircraft carried older camouflage and had
their engines removed (their exhaust nozzles
were missing). It can therefore be reasonably
assumed that they were decommissioned
aircraft that had already served as sources of
spare parts. According to The Military Watch
website, both fighters had been parked in
the same location since August 2025 and
September 2025 respectively.
The video from Kanatove Air Base is
somewhat more interesting. It shows attacks
on a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet. The first strike
was not entirely successful; the drone hit the
side wall of the shelter and made a hole in it
but did not directly hit the aircraft. That only
happened during the second attack. However,
upon closer inspection, the F-16 shows several
odd details. Its canopy appears yellowed,
and it has several shape irregularities, such
as squared sides of the intake under the
fuselage. It is therefore either a mock-up or
a decommissioned aircraft that was used for
ground crew training and later became a decoy.
Exactly such a decommissioned aircraft with
a yellowed canopy stood behind Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2024 when
he announced the arrival of F-16s in Ukraine.
A Russian attack on a civilian bus. The driver was killed, and two passengers were seriously injured.
A Russian BM-35 drone attack on two Ukrainian
Su-27 fighters in Myrhorod. In both cases, these
were decommissioned aircraft without engines.
Zelensky in 2024 standing in front of an old F-16 fighter with
a yellowed canopy. It was apparently a decommissioned
aircraft delivered for ground crew training and spare parts.
A Russian BM-35 drone attack on an F-16 at the Ukrainian Kanatove air base.
Note the yellowed canopy and the squared engine intake. It is either a mock-up
or a decommissioned aircraft.
This Russian Lancet drone missed its
target. It was caught by a net stretched
above the road
UKRAJINA
INFO Eduard
29
March 2026