Russia won't run out of pilots but their quality will diminish – Ukraine's Air Force
Russia continues to train pilots, but many professional pilots have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine by now.
Source: Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force, on the national 24/7 newscast
Quote from Ihnat: "Russia continues to train pilots; training centres are operating. In terms of the number of pilots graduating, it’s around 100-150 individuals each year.
Obviously, we aren't putting a lot of hope into Russia running out of pilots. But it’s [obvious] that the quality of the Russian personnel will diminish. This is war."
Details: According to Ihnat, many of the pilots Russia deployed to Ukraine had fought in Syria; they were among the best Russian pilots. Many of them will no longer be able to operate aircraft, whether because they have been killed, wounded, or captured by Ukrainian forces.
Talking about Russia losing five aircraft on 13 May (two military planes and three helicopters), Ihnat noted that Russian propaganda is considering many possible lines of enquiry, blaming a wide range of suspects – from Russian partisans to Ukrainian fighter jets, from Russian or Ukrainian anti-aircraft defence systems to Ukrainian partisans operating MANPADS, among others.
"There are many versions, they’re in a state of hysteria, and we’re quite entertained by it," Ihnat added.
Background:
- On 13 May, several Russian military planes and helicopters crashed in Russia's Bryansk Oblast. The aircraft were on their way to carry out an attack on Ukraine.
- According to Ukraine’s Air Force, five Russian aircraft crashed that day. Ihnat said that the Russian planes and helicopters "encountered difficulties".
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