The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday, March 20, published a video of the combat use of Su-35 fighters during a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass.
It is noted that during the execution of flight missions, fighter pilots of the Aerospace Forces of Russia destroyed the air defense means of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
As a result, the Russian military gained complete air supremacy.
The Defense Ministry said that the first pilot awarded the title of Hero of Russia for courage and heroism shown while performing tasks during a special military operation was fighter pilot Major Viktor Dudin.
In a duel battle, he destroyed a Su-27 fighter of the Ukrainian armed forces from the first approach. Thus, he managed to prevent a strike against Russian troops.
Dudin also destroyed the Buk-M1 mobile anti-aircraft missile defense system, dropping to a height of less than 400 m for this purpose.
"My father was also a military pilot, I have been at a military airfield since childhood, where the dream of a profession was formed. I graduated from the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. The plane I'm flying is a Su-35. This is a modern and advanced fighter that surpasses all foreign analogues. When performing sorties for combat use, we have advantages in terms of tactical and technical characteristics, which we have proved in air battles," he stressed.
In addition, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Perepelkin, a fighter pilot, was presented with the state award. While performing combat duty tasks in the air, he found two Su-27 aircraft of the AFU. Then he launched air-to-air guided missiles. Thanks to the professional actions of the senior lieutenant, both targets were destroyed.
"During combat duty on the command "Air", I took off, found two air targets in flight, captured them, and launched missiles. As a result, both targets were hit, and I performed a regular landing at the home airfield," Perepelkin said.
According to the military, the experience that fighter pilots are currently receiving is very valuable, it will still enter into the tactics of conducting air battles.
On the eve of the Ministry of Defense showed how the crews of the army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces struck missile weapons at the equipped fortified strongholds of Ukrainian nationalists.
Earlier, on March 18, the agency published footage showing how helicopters of the Russian Air Force's army aviation performed tasks on aviation patrol and escort of columns of Russian armored and automotive vehicles. It was noted that the flights were carried out at low and extremely low altitudes.
At the same time, the complexes of the Russian Aerospace Forces drones struck with high-precision missile weapons at the armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, warehouses with weapons and ammunition. The Ministry of Defense released a video of the incident.
At the same time, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin said that the United States does not intend to conduct military activities in Ukraine. He noted that the United States will not impose a no-fly zone over this country, since the confrontation between Washington and Moscow is not beneficial to anyone.
In early March, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky called NATO's deliberate refusal to close the skies over the country. He also said more than once that he was disappointed in the alliance and cooled down to the idea of joining the country to the bloc.
On February 17, 2022, the situation in Donbass escalated. Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) announced general mobilization, evacuation of civilians to Russia and asked for help.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the DPR and the LPR, as well as agreements that, among other things, provide for the provision of military assistance to each other.
On February 24, Putin announced the launch of a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. Western countries that disagree with its implementation have begun to impose new anti-Russian sanctions.
Watch more relevant videos and details about the situation in Donbass on the Izvestia TV channel.
