Russia Pulling Back on Air Strikes After Series of Plane Losses: Kyiv

Russia has cut down on air strikes on Ukraine's front lines after Kyiv's forces shot down several of its planes last week, a U.S. think tank has said, citing Ukrainian officials.

"Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat stated on December 24 that Russian forces decreased their use of glide bombs and air strikes in southern Ukraine," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on Sunday.

The move comes after Ukrainian forces said they shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers on December 21 and 22. Ukrainian officials said their armed forces destroyed another two Russian warplanes on Christmas Eve. In a Christmas Day update, Ukraine's General Staff said its air defenses had destroyed a Russian Su-30 and an Su-34 aircraft.

Russian aircraft release glide bombs up to 45 miles away from their targets, meaning that the planes are less exposed to Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire. "The decreased Russian use of glide bombs suggests that Russian forces are concerned about Ukrainian air defense capabilities following recent losses," ISW said.

ISW quoted Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets as saying on December 24 that Russian forces were limiting their use of manned aviation near Russian-occupied Crimea, particularly in the northwestern Black Sea region.

It noted that Ukrainian ground forces spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Fityo said on December 23 that Russian forces had also reduced their use of aviation and increased their use of strike drones in the Kupiansk and Bakhmut areas of eastern Ukraine.

Newsweek has been unable to independently verify some of the details in the December 24 ISW report.

The Ukrainian Air Force described how Russian pilots got "cocky" before Kyiv's forces downed the three Russian fighter bombers last week as they tried to drop bombs behind enemy lines.

"They got cocky, came closer, tried to strike our troops with guided bombs deeper in the defense positions," Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Ihnat said. "But when you want to strike and are itching to strike, you have to fly closer," he said. "They took a risk—unsuccessfully."

Ukraine did not disclose how the three Russian planes were downed. However, Russian military bloggers expressed concern about Ukrainian air defenses downing the Russian aircraft, with one version noting that Kyiv had probably used the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile.

According to ISW, Ihnat also stated on December 24 that Ukrainian forces "can deploy air defense systems in any direction, not only in those where Russian forces suffered aircraft losses."

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a December 25 update shared on Facebook that Russia has lost 329 aircraft since the start of the war.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment via email.

But the ISW said in its report that Russian forces had carried out drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on December 23 and 24.

Russia launched 16 Shahed 131/-136 drones from Krasnodar Krai, a Russian region just east of the Crimean Peninsula, although 15 were shot down by Ukraine, the ISW said.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov, said Russia continued to target the country's energy infrastructure, although he said many projectiles had been shot down.