Ukrainian jets now strike freely and bomb Russian positions - RFU News

[TexasTowelie]

Today, there are important updates from Ukraine.

Here, Ukrainian forces are dismantling Russian air defense systems at a scale and tempo that is fundamentally changing control of the skies. As a result, Ukraine can now achieve air superiority, and its fighter jets are operating with more freedom than ever on the front.

Over the last year, Russia lost an estimated four billion US dollars worth of air-defense systems to a single Ukrainian formation alone: one of the most elite Special Operations units of Ukraine’s Security Service, unit Alpha. It destroyed more than 500 Russian air-defense assets over the year, taking out long- and short-range systems, as well as critical radar and command elements, blinding entire sectors. This systematic dismantling opened corridors that Ukrainian long-range drones immediately exploited, striking deep into Russian territory with increasing regularity.

Multiple other brigades joined the effort this month: Strela-10 systems were knocked out in Donbas, Tor-M2 systems were hit near Crimea, Nebo-U radars and Pantsir-S1 launchers were destroyed on the peninsula, and mid-range drone strikes eliminated Tor, Tunguska, and even rare S-350 Vityaz radar elements behind the front near Huliaipole and Orikhiv. Additional strikes disabled a 9S32 radar of an S-300V system in Donetsk and destroyed both a Tor-M2 launcher and the radar of another similar complex in Zaporizhzhia.

The operational effect is profound, as Russian forces are now overstretched between defending frontline units and shielding rear areas with what experts call a skeleton air defense network that lacks launchers, radars, and trained crews to provide layered coverage. In practical terms, this means that once a single radar or launcher in an area is destroyed, there is usually no replacement quickly available.

This dynamic has recently extended into Russia’s own border region of Kursk, as Ukrainian forces deliberately targeted remaining air-defense assets seen as the first protective belt for Russia’s rear. Surveillance drones tracked Buk-M2 and Buk-M3 systems as they maneuvered and attempted to hide in forest strips. A moment later, their coordinates were passed on, and missile strikes destroyed them in place, giving Ukraine full access to deploy their airpower and strike.

The consequences were immediate as Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jets began operating more openly, even flying close air support missions from above the clouds; which normally can only be done further in the rear outside of Russian air defense range during missions to intercept enemy drones and missiles. Now with the gained air superiority, the Ukrainian jets are carrying Hammer bombs, flying high on their way to the front to conduct close air support missions. This allows them to drop their bombs from higher, optimize their range, making them even less exposed to Russian long-range air defense, just in case they are still active in the area.

This freedom allows the Ukrainian air strike units to conduct a consistent series of precision strikes with less risk, using the same type of Mig-29 jets and the same type of Hammer guided bombs. The first target was a Russian drone operator base in Tyotkino, eliminated by a direct Ukrainian hit. Soon, a second mission over Tyotkino followed, and another Ukrainian jet blasted a building housing enemy infantry gathering for an assault. A second build-up of forces in Yunakivka was the next target, with the Ukrainian Mig flying freely and dropping two bombs right in the complex used as a hideout by the Russians. Finally, a nearby set of houses used as an ammunition depot was destroyed with two powerful blasts, nullifying the Russian effort to save them by dispersing them along several buildings. These successful strikes showed a level of integration that would have been far harder to achieve under intact Russian air defenses, which would have forced jets to fly low.

Overall, Ukraine is approaching a decisive threshold in the air war, as the devastating rate of air-defense destruction has effectively stripped Russia of reliable protection across wide sectors. Russian rear areas are no longer sanctuaries but exposed spaces under constant threat. With full freedom to strike, Ukraine can now methodically disrupt logistics, command centers, airfields, and naval assets, eroding Russia’s ability to sustain operations. Control of the sky determines the tempo of war, and now it is shifting decisively in Ukraine’s favor.