The Air War in Ukraine - Starring the F-16
Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are still flying and fighting, including those delivered from Slovakia and Poland. However, Western military assistance is becoming increasingly important for the Ukrainian Air Force. In recent months, F-16 fighters have carried the main burden of combat, performing up to 80 percent of Ukrainian Air Force missions.
Miro Barič
Starring the F-16
Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are still flying and fighting, including
those delivered from Slovakia and Poland. However, Western military
assistance is becoming increasingly important for the Ukrainian Air Force.
In recent months, F-16 fighters have carried the main burden of combat,
performing up to 80 percent of Ukrainian Air Force missions.
The Air War in Ukraine
During the observed period from
1 October to 31 October 2025, Russian forces
attempted attacks in several sectors—from
Kupiansk on the border of Kharkiv Oblast,
through Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, down to
Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the south. The Russian
advance was facilitated by the increasingly
massive use of glide bombs, against which
Ukrainian defenders still have no effective
counter. Russian aviation is also constantly
trying to improve them. In October, the use of
glide bombs equipped with an additional rocket
motor was documented for the first time.
It is estimated that such a modified bomb, with
a 100-kg explosive warhead, has a range of
200 km. This allows Russian aircraft to release
them at a safe distance from the front line,
completely avoiding Ukrainian air defenses.
Record Numbers
Deep inside Ukrainian territory, Russian
strikes on energy infrastructure continued.
Their aim is to terrorize the civilian population
by depriving them of electricity and heating
during winter. In October, Russia launched
5,298 long-range drones and 270 missiles
and cruise weapons at Ukraine. The number
of missiles was the highest since early 2023,
when Kyiv began publishing daily statistics.
For comparison, in September this year,
185 missiles and cruise weapons were
launched at Ukraine. Thus, October saw
a 46-percent increase.
During the night of Friday, 3 October,
Russia launched 381 drones and 35 missiles.
The massive attack did not target any military
facility but exclusively energy infrastructure.
Another large raid followed during the night
of Sunday, 5 October. Western Ukraine was
targeted by 496 drones and 53 missiles. Out of
the total 549 projectiles, Ukrainian defenses
intercepted 478. The remaining ones struck
mainly energy facilities in Ivano-Frankivsk
and Lviv. In Lviv, a large warehouse of Polish
clothing brands was also hit. At least nine
people were killed. Near Lviv, one Russian
projectile struck a house, killing a family of
four, including a 15-year-old girl.
Ukraine is trying to hit Russia where it truly
hurts. In addition to attacks on refineries—
which reduced gasoline production by one
million tons per month—Ukraine also began
to strike Russian energy infrastructure,
something it had previously avoided. A major
Ukrainian drone strike occurred on the night
of Monday, 6 October. It hit the electrical
grid near Belgorod and a heating plant near
Bryansk. Ukrainian drones also targeted an
oil terminal in Feodosia in Crimea, a refinery
in Tuapse, a munitions factory near Nizhny
Novgorod, the Saky airbase, and other sites.
Among the refinery attacks, one especially
noted was the strike on the Tyumen refinery on
Tuesday, 7 October—more than 2,000 km from
the Ukrainian border.
The Ukrainian Air Force released a series of F-16 flight images.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard54
December 2025