by DAVID AXE
October was a hard month for Russian military aviation. A spate of losses on Nov. 11 could mean November is a hard month, too. Russia is losing a lot of aircraft—in particular, fighters and helicopters.
The most recent losses occurred during a powerful Ukrainian drone raid targeting energy infrastructure near St. Petersburg, a port city on the Baltic Sea 840 km from Russia’s border with Ukraine.
No fewer than 50 Ukrainian one-way attack drones pummeled Baltic Sea port facilities, which have become busier in recent months as the Russians have shifted trade away from the increasingly dangerous Black Sea. As the sun rose on Nov. 11, the oil terminal in Ust-Luga, 100 km west of St. Petersburg, was ablaze.
The damage on the ground appears to be extensive. The damage in the air was equally severe. During the Ukrainian drone raid, the Russians lost three aircraft and seven airmen, Russian military channels reported.
A Russian aviation channel’s memorial post shows a Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopter, a Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter and a Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor. Other reports name two Ka-52s and an Mi-8 and no MiG-31. Losing a MiG-31, one of Russia’s scarcest interceptors, would be the costliest part of the night. “This past night has inflicted a deep wound upon the aerospace forces,” Russian channel The Voevoda Speaks mourned.
Three written-off airframes is a steep toll for a single night of fighting. In October, an unusually costly month for Russian aviation, the Russians lost 13 fighters and helicopters, mostly in accidents and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Russian bases. The worst single-day loss last month was on Oct. 15, when Ukrainian Neptune cruise missiles caught Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighters on the ground in Borisoglebsk, in western Russia 250 km from the Ukrainian border.
Four Su-34s burned, setting back—although not by much—Russia’s glide bombing campaign targeting Ukrainian positions and cities. By comparison, the Nov. 11 losses were lighter, but not by much. “Today’s defense of the skies over St. Petersburg against a drone attack has come at a very high price,” the Russian Fighterbomber channel wrote. “A very, very, very high price.”
What happened?
Read the rest at Euromaidan Press.
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