Why Can’t Russia Control the Sky? Pentagon Says Ukrainian Air Space Still “Contested”

Video Above: Russia-Ukraine No Fly Zone

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Alongside disturbing images of Russian missiles destroying apartment homes, killing civilians and government buildings in Ukraine and satellite images of a massive Russian convoy headed for Kyiv, there is a less visible, yet highly significant air war taking place in the sky. It is an air war which appears to be far more contested than some might have anticipated.

Senior Pentagon officials estimate that Russia is operating more than 75 aircraft over Ukraine, yet much is still unknown and Pentagon officials say the “airpace is actively contested every day.”

“The airspace over Ukraine continues to be contested. The Russians do not have air superiority over the entire country but there are areas where they have more control than others, and the same goes for the Ukrainians,” a senior Pentagon official told reporters, according to a Pentagon transcript.

The fact that the airspace is still contested seems somewhat surprising and does possibly speak to the confidence and resolve of Ukrainian pilots and fighter jets. 

Global Firepower’s 2022 military assessments reveal a massive discrepancy between Russian and Ukrainian air power, listing Russia as operating 772 fighter jets compared with Ukraine at 69 fighter jets.