Photo: author’s archive

HISTORY

Photo: author’s archive

While the previous Il-76MD 76322 at Melitopol was inoperative for a long time and did not fly, the second destroyed Il-76MD from 25. OBrTrA (Transport aviation brigade) inventory

was probably the airframe 76696 which, sporting the gray overall paintwork, was observed in flight shortly before February 24, 2022.

44

INFO Eduard

Chuhuyiv airport is the

home of 203. NABr

(Training aviation

brigade) dedicated to

educating the young

aviation candidates for

the University of the

Aviation in the nearby

second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkov.

The primary training

aircraft is L-39C

Albatros. Neither this

airport, very close to

the border with Russia,

escaped the attack

on February 24, 2022

resulting in hitting the

apron with L-39C. It is

questionable though

if these Albatrosses

were airworthy at the

moment of the attack

or had been decommissioned for a long time.

Photo: author’s

archive

Besides the photographic evidence presented earlier, during the morning attack

at least one Su-27 from 39. BrTA parking

at Ozerne base near Zhytomyr was destroyed and the picture posted on internet

showed the group of Su-24M bombers hit

at the unspecified base and the planes looked decommissioned for a long time. It is

certainly not a complete overview of the

destroyed equipment and at least offers

a basic idea. In general, by the early maneuver the Ukrainian AF prevented the heavier

damage to its inventory and in the following

days could commence the attacks against

the invading troops. It suffered many losses

in the process on the other side many times managed to slow down the attacker’s

advance and the great benefit was to boost

the morale of the defenders who could see

that VKS RF does not have air superiority

even though the Russian army representatives declared it many times since the conflict started.

June 2022