Russian forces hit mock-ups of warplanes and Patriot air defense launchers during recent missile attacks that Russian sources claimed had destroyed a Mig-29 aircraft and two Patriot batteries, Ukraine's Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on July 6.
The statement follows the publication of videos filmed by Russian reconnaissance drones showing missile strikes on the Dovhyntseve airfield in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and a base of Patriot air defense systems near Yuzhne in Odesa Oblast.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet was destroyed as a result of Iskander missiles hitting the Dovhyntseve airfield on July 3.
Russian pro-war Telegram channels published a video showing another Iskander strike near Yuzhne on July 6, claiming that two Patriot batteries and a Giraffe radar system were destroyed. The Russian Defense Ministry has not reported on the attack.
Oleshchuk reshared the footage on his Telegram channel, saying that Ukraine's Air Force personnel "successfully conducted passive defense measures."
"Thanks to everyone who helps with quality mock-ups of aircraft and air defense systems. The enemy has fewer Iskanders, and more mock-ups will arrive," he added.
"Of course, both we and the enemy have losses of equipment and people. But neither side is talking about it publicly. It is clear why!"
The Kyiv Independent is unable to verify the claims immediately.
Ukraine's airfields have recently faced an uptick in Russian strikes as Kyiv gets ready to receive the first batch of Western F-16 fighter jets.
Over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed five Su-27 Soviet-made jets and damaged two more stationed at the Myrhorod airfield, a Mi-24 helicopter at the Poltava airfield.
Reports of the attacks drew outrage on social media, with some criticizing the Air Force for failing to properly protect the airfields despite advance warnings and the expected arrival of F-16 fighter jets.
Air Force spokesperson Illia Yevlash refused to give any comments to the Kyiv Independent on reported Russian attacks against Ukrainian airfields.
Kateryna Denisova
