Air War in Ukraine
What happened over the past year?
Text: Miro Barič
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began four years ago, on February 24, 2022. This continuation of the series therefore does not deal only with the recent period from February 1, 2026 to February 28, 2026, but also recaps events from the past year.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has already lasted longer than Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union from 1941–45. Over the past year, the Russian army has advanced in several places along the front line. In some areas it did manage to move forward (for example, Pokrovsk), but only slowly and at the cost of enormous losses. The pace of the Russian advance was even slower than during the major battles of World War I, which was considered largely static. In some areas, despite heavy pressure and losses, Russian forces achieved virtually nothing (Kupiansk).
During the currently observed period, Ukrainian armed forces even carried out successful local counterattacks (especially in the Zaporizhzhia region) and liberated several villages. The Ukrainians were also helped by the fact that Elon Musk promptly responded to their request and disabled Starlink terminals used by Russian forces. The Russians had relied on them not only for communication but also for guiding long-range drones. Using unmanned systems equipped with Starlink terminals, they had been able to remotely attack moving trains or aircraft at Ukrainian airfields. Such attacks on air bases did not occur during this observed period.
At the end of February, however, something happened that affected the entire world, including developments in Ukraine. The United States and Israel attacked Iran. At the outset, they eliminated much of the country’s top political and military leadership and significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities—though they did not destroy them completely, nor did the Iranian regime collapse. On the contrary, Iran began launching missiles and drones not only at Israel but also at all surrounding Persian Gulf states and blocked oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. This situation has lasted for another month and is causing economic problems worldwide. It appears the U.S. was caught off guard and did not have a backup plan—similar to Russia after the failure of its “three-day” operation four years ago.
How does this specifically affect Ukraine? Russia can benefit in the long term from higher oil prices and thus gain more money to wage war. Ukraine may also suffer from reduced deliveries of weapons and ammunition. For comparison: over three years, Ukraine received a total of 600 missiles for Patriot air defense systems. The U.S. and other countries in the Middle East used 800 Patriot missiles in just the first three days of the war with Iran. They are also using them to destroy cheap Shahed drones, which Iran launches in large numbers. Ukrainians responded quickly and offered assistance to several countries. They sent specialists to the Middle East who help destroy Shahed drones more cheaply—for example, using drone interceptors.
In any case, the world is descending into chaos that even the Info Eduard editorial team may no longer be able to keep up with. For now, let us look at what happened in Ukraine over the past year.
Training of Ukrainian paratroopers in rappelling from a Mi-8 helicopter.
February 2025
Ukraine received another type of Western fighter jet—the French Mirage 2000-5F. This purely fighter version with a high-quality radar was modified for Ukrainian needs to carry guided air-to-ground weapons. Initially, Ukraine received only three of these aircraft, but even that expanded the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force.
March 2025
With the support of North Korean soldiers, Russian forces managed to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region, where they had been since August 2024. Russian aviation experienced one of its black days this month, losing one Su-25 in an accident on March 24, 2025, and four helicopters destroyed by HIMARS rockets at a forward base. The first recorded engagement between a Ukrainian F-16 and a Russian Su-35 also occurred, ending inconclusively with no losses.
An almost artistic shot of Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets. The aircraft on the left is, based on the antenna behind the cockpit, a former Slovak MiG-29AS.
In February 2026, it was confirmed for the first time that Ukraine had begun using its Mirage 2000-5F aircraft for ground attacks with AASM Hammer guided bombs.
April 2025
On Palm Sunday, April 13, two Iskander-M ballistic missiles with cluster warheads struck busy streets in the city of Sumy, full of people heading to churches. The result was 35 dead and 129 injured—the worst attack on Ukrainian civilians since 2023. The day before, April 12, Ukraine lost an F-16 along with its pilot, Captain Pavlo Ivanov. The aircraft was hit by Russian air defense. This was the second Ukrainian Air Force F-16 loss.
May 2025
Ukraine lost another F-16, the third overall. It happened on the night of May 16 during combat with Russian cruise missiles. The pilot destroyed three and was attacking a fourth with the onboard cannon when the fighter was likely struck by debris. This time, the pilot successfully ejected and survived.
For the first time in history, Ukrainians managed to shoot down supersonic fighters using missiles launched from a naval drone. This occurred on the night of May 2, when Magura V7 drones using AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles shot down two Russian Su-30 aircraft.
On Friday, February 27, 2026, Russian aviation dropped 328 guided glide bombs on Ukrainian positions—the highest number in a single day so far. The previous record was on October 17, 2025, when 268 such bombs were dropped. Their primary carrier is the Su-34.
A Ukrainian Gepard marked with symbols representing downed Shahed drones.
June 2025
On the very first day of the month, Ukraine carried out the largest attack on Russian airfields during the entire war. Operation “Spiderweb” was conducted by the SBU, which smuggled small domestically produced Osa quadcopters into Russian territory. The drones were hidden in trucks and launched near four bases: Belaya (Irkutsk region, 4,300 km from Ukraine), Olenya (near Murmansk, 1,800 km from the front), Dyagilevo (Ryazan region), and Ivanovo Severny (Ivanovo region, 200 km from Moscow). An attack on a fifth base failed.
Destroyed or heavily damaged were eight Tu-95MS strategic bombers, one An-12 transport aircraft, two decommissioned A-50 aircraft, and 7–12 Tu-22M3 medium bombers. Additional aircraft and helicopters were destroyed in regular Ukrainian attacks, and two were lost during combat flights. Altogether, Russia lost 29 to 33 aircraft and helicopters that month.
Ukraine suffered only one loss—an F-16 and its pilot. On June 27, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko destroyed seven Russian drones and missiles before being hit, possibly by debris. He managed to steer the aircraft away from populated areas but could not eject and died in the crash. This was the fourth and most recent F-16 loss.
July 2025
On July 22, Ukraine lost its first Mirage 2000-5F. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported critical instrument failure and successfully ejected. The aircraft crashed into a swamp and disappeared, leaving only a water-filled crater.
Russia set grim records in mass attacks, launching 6,297 drones in July—the highest since the invasion began. The worst day was July 29, when airstrikes killed 25 people.
A Russian Ka-27 naval helicopter hit by a Ukrainian drone.
A Ukrainian drone strike on a Beriev Be-12 in Crimea.
August 2025
Ukraine launched a campaign against Russian oil refineries, with drones striking at least 10 facilities in one month. The Druzhba pipeline, supplying Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, was also repeatedly hit. A Ukrainian drone also struck a Russian ship in the Caspian Sea for the first time.
September 2025
On September 7, Russia set another “record,” launching 818 drones and other projectiles at Ukraine. The most significant event occurred on September 10, when about two dozen Russian drones strayed into Poland—likely to test NATO’s defensive response.
It was otherwise a black month for Russian aviation, which lost 8 to 11 aircraft and helicopters.
The Russian channel Dossier Spy published an image of the destroyed Be-12. It was a long-retired aircraft.
October 2025
This month confirmed the importance of F-16 fighters. While MiG-29s and Su-27s continued to operate, F-16s carried out 80% of Ukrainian Air Force combat missions.
Russia lost six aircraft and helicopters, including cases of friendly fire where air defenses mistook Russian aircraft for Ukrainian drones.
November 2025
Ukraine conducted several successful drone attacks on Russian airfields. Notably, a strike on the Beriev plant in Taganrog damaged a production hall and two experimental aircraft (A-60 and A-100LL).
Russia, in turn, struck Ternopil, hitting residential buildings and killing 38 people, including seven children. Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers were used.
At the same time, Dossier Spy also published images of a damaged hangar and a Mi-8 helicopter inside.
December 2025
Another black month for Russian aviation, losing at least 10 aircraft and suffering personnel losses. Most were destroyed in drone attacks on airfields. A naval Il-38N patrol aircraft was also hit at the Yeysk base, enabling a naval drone attack on a submarine in Novorossiysk.
Ukraine also suffered losses: two aircraft destroyed on the ground and two in the air (Su-27 and Mi-24), with five crew members killed.
January 2026
This month was marked by severe frost. Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. Attempts to retaliate against Ukrainian drone strikes on airfields had mixed results. Reported hits on two Su-27s involved decommissioned aircraft, and a struck F-16 was likely a decoy.
February 2026
During the observed period from February 1 to February 28, 2026, the Ukrainian side suffered only one loss. This occurred on Monday, February 9, when a Mi-24 helicopter from the 11th Independent Army Aviation Brigade failed to return from a combat mission. Sadly, its crew was killed.
The Russians lost a Ka-27 naval helicopter, which was destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike in Crimea. Footage of the attack was released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Tuesday, February 17. The strike therefore took place either on that day or shortly before.
The same source—the Ukrainian General Staff—released additional footage on Saturday, February 21, showing a successful drone strike on a Beriev Be-12 amphibious aircraft at an aircraft repair facility in Yevpatoria, Crimea. According to the website The Military Watch, it was a decommissioned aircraft with the tail number “yellow 30” and serial number 9601502, which had been parked at the same location for over 20 years. A photograph of its wreck was later published by the Russian channel Dossier Spy.
Interestingly, the same Russian channel also released footage showing a hit and heavily damaged hangar, inside which a Mi-8 helicopter was damaged. This confirmed greater damage than what had been reported by the Ukrainians.
Training of Ukrainian paratroopers with Mi-8 helicopters.