The expert noted that the enemy could shell Ukrainian territory only from a distance without flying deep into our country.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov believes that Russia can accumulate aircraft for carrying out attacks and defending its positions in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
"They can concentrate their main efforts on the defense of their positions. By the way, for this, I am saying that sending into battle such a large amount of new equipment that we receive or will receive from our partner countries, without air cover, would not be entirely competent, if not worse. Precisely because Russia can use aviation both in defense and in the offensive," he added, answering a subscriber's question on YouTube.
According to the expert, using aviation in an offensive by the occupier will be more problematic. The enemy can fire at our territory only from a distance, without flying deep into our country. Zhdanov stressed that "it will be a one-way ticket."
"I think that our long-range weapons in this case, will shoot down even over Belgorod, if they get Russian aircraft. But if they become on the defensive, then yes, the aircraft will try to work on our troops, which will break through the defenses of the Russian troops on our territories. For this, aviation is needed - to engage in battle with Russian aircraft," Zhdanov summed up.
At the same time, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine believes that the enemy will not massively use aviation on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The Russian aviation grouping at the airfields at the beginning of the aggression remains approximately the same in number, and the lost equipment is being supplemented.