“There is no accumulation.” The Air Force stated that the number of Russian aircraft near the borders of Ukraine has not changed

The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces declares that the number of Russian aircraft near the borders of Ukraine does not change. The Russians cannot pull it even closer because of the lack of airfields.

This was reported at the briefing by the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ignat.

"Regarding the information about the accumulation of aviation — ʼan old storyʼ. It cannot be said that it is around Ukraine, but directly at the airfields that the Russian Federation uses in its aggression against Ukraine. It has been repeatedly said that these are about 40 airfields, in particular in the occupied territories, in Belarus and the Russian Federation. These airfields host various types of aircraft used in attacks against Ukraine," he noted.

According to him, the same amount of aviation that the Russians had accumulated at the beginning of the aggression is stored near the borders — approximately 700 different planes and helicopters.

Ignat also reminded that the Ukrainian military has already shot down 299 aircraft, the number of damaged rotorcraft is approaching 300 units. However, the enemy can replenish the lost sides by pulling up equipment from the middle of the country.

• On February 14, 2023, The Financial Times, citing representatives of Western intelligence, wrote that the Russian ground forces are exhausted, so the Russian Federation can bet on aviation.
• On February 16, British intelligence said that it considered an extended Russian air campaign against Ukraine unlikely. The British estimated that the Russian Air Force had approximately 1 500 manned military aircraft and had lost more than 130 aircraft since the start of the full-scale invasion. Of the 1 500 aircraft, not all are operational. In every army of the world, it is stipulated that 30% of the aircraft fleet are planes that undergo routine maintenance or are under repair.