HISTORY

Air war over Ukraine

Ukrainian Offensive, Prigozhin Coup

Text: Miro Barič

Ukrainian Mi-24P at a field base.

June was an extremely hot month in Ukraine, and we’re not referring

to global warming. Events unfolded on the front lines that laid the

groundwork for significant changes in the future – not only for Ukraine

but also for Russia. The Ukrainian offensive began, which, though

seemingly progressing slowly, was steady. In Russia, the Wagner

Group revolted, but they quickly changed their minds, yet the regime

remained shaken. Things were set in motion.

In this part of the series, we’ll follow events

from June 1 to July 1, but first, let’s revisit an

event from the previous period. On May 13, an

attack group of Russian aircraft, consisting

of Su-34, Su-35, and 2 × Mi-8 helicopters,

was shot down in the Bryansk region near

the Ukrainian border. When the previous part

was being completed, the exact details of

what happened had not been confirmed, and

various possibilities were being considered.

However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces later

released a video in which they boasted of their

successes in air defense. The footage showed

a Patriot system with markings indicating the

score, confirming that they were responsible

for that mentioned Russian group. On the

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side, there are painted silhouettes of aircraft

and helicopters with the date May 13. By the

way, they have three Mi-8 helicopters painted

there, but officially only two were confirmed.

The Ukrainians, therefore, claim one more.

It is possible that the Russian group at that time

consisted of two Mi-8MTPR-1 helicopters for

electronic warfare and a third Mi-8 prepared

for search and rescue in case of the attack

bomber being shot down.

In addition to this group, the aforementioned

Patriot system has an impressive collection of

missiles, including Kinzhals, missiles with a low

flight path, and drones painted on its side. The

Ukrainians also demonstrated decent scores

against the S-300 and NASAMS systems.

Photos: Ukrainian

armed forces, social

media and other public

sources

The Patriot system excelled, especially

during the intensive attacks on Kyiv in May. The

Russian shelling of the capital decreased in

June. They probably realized that their attacks

were just wasting rockets - but officially, they

accomplished their mission because, according

to Putin’ְs words, they destroyed five or six

Patriot systems near Kyiv. Never mind that

Ukraine received only two of them ...

Ukrainian Offensive

Another reason for shifting the Russian

command’s attention away from Kyiv was the

Ukrainian counteroffensive. After prolonged

anticipation, it began in early June in the

Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southern Ukraine. The

August 2023