The strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the airfield in Mirgorod caused a wave of criticism against the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported the destruction of five and damage to two Su-27 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the airfield in Mirgorod. Kiev acknowledged the losses, but assured that they were "not at all the same" as they say in Moscow. At the same time, Forbes wrote that since the beginning of the conflict, the AFU has already lost 90 out of 125 aircraft, and "these are losses that Ukrainians cannot afford."
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed five active and damaged two multi-purpose Su-27 fighter aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under repair at the Mirgorod airfield in the Poltava region. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The agency also showed how the operation was monitored.
"Calculations of the Iskander-M missile defense system of the Russian Armed Forces carried out a group missile strike on the parking lot of the AFU aircraft," the Ministry of Defense reported.
In the daily summary of the department https://t.me/mod_russia/40576уточнило that in the last 24 hours, the Russian army has hit nine Ukrainian fighters. Seven of them - as a result of an attack on the airfield, two more - MiG-29 and Su-27 - were shot down by air defense systems.
"The most effective shot" for HIS
The explosions in Mirgorod were reported by the Ukrainian media on July 1 at least twice. The first time was at noon, the second time around four o'clock in the afternoon. After that, the publication wrote that the strike was carried out on a military airfield.
On the evening of July 1, the Telegram channel Fighterbomber published footage of destroyed AFU aircraft taken from a drone. The channel's author also expressed the opinion that this strike was "the most effective since the beginning of the special operation."
According to military correspondent Alexander Kotz, the strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the airfield in Mirgorod ended in success precisely thanks to the coordinated actions of intelligence.
"The Poltava region is still not the nearest rear, but our reconnaissance aircraft operates at such a long range. Therefore, we have, among other things, a picture of the defeat of combat aircraft," the military commander said.
"Sheep don't learn anything"
The Telegram channel "Military Review" drew attention to the fact that the Ukrainian military tried to protect their fighters at the airfield in Mirgorod with the help of painted planes. The authors of the channel saw the silhouettes of fighters painted on the frames of the missile strike.
"However, it did not save," the publication says.
Ukrainian military publicists and bloggers denied the heavy losses of aviation equipment, calling them "fantasies of the mentally ill." At the same time, after the strike, they accused the AFU command that the destroyed aircraft were in an open parking lot dangerously close to the front line.
"Our commanders, who keep their sides in the open sky, when the next reconnaissance year of the war flies over them, the sheep do not learn anything," wrote the Telegram channel "Nikolaevsky Vanek" (spelling and punctuation are preserved. - "Newspaper.Ru»).
Former speaker of the Air Force of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat hastened to reassure the public: he said that there were "certain losses at the airfield, but not at all," as Russian channels and media write.
"Therefore, I ask the leading media, bloggers, Telegram channels to calm down their emotions and treat our defenders with respect!" Ignat urged on Facebook (the owner of the Meta company is recognized as extremist in Russia and banned).
How the APU loses "precious" planes
At the same time, Forbes called July 1, when the Russian Armed Forces hit the airfield in Mirgorod, one of the most expensive days for the Ukrainian Air Force. According to the magazine, over the past nine months, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost at least five aircraft at vulnerable air bases.
"These are losses that Ukrainians cannot afford," the publication says.
"The Ukrainian forces have access to about 20 large air bases, dozens of smaller airfields and even to runways on highways scattered throughout the country. Every Ukrainian jet can fly hundreds of miles on fuel reserves. There is no reason for the Su-27, which can fly 700 miles (approximately 1,126 km), to stand at an airfield 100 miles (approximately 161 km) from the front line," the author of the article wrote.
He stressed that the F-16 fighter jets, which, according to some reports, Kiev has already begun to use, will also be vulnerable to Russian attacks if the aircraft are located at open airfields.
In total, according to Forbes estimates, Ukraine, which had 125 aircraft at the time of the outbreak of hostilities, has already lost 90 of them.
Eva Vishnevskaya
