In 8.5 months from February 24, 2022, Russia lost more aircraft in Ukraine than in 10 years in Afghanistan

“During the full-scale aggression, defenders of Ukraine destroyed twice as many russian aircraft than the Soviet Union lost during the 10-year war in Afghanistan – 278 russian aircraft in Ukraine against 118 Soviet aircraft in Afghanistan. This war is the same shame for the russian federation and will cause its destruction!” wrote Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi on Facebook.

These are really impressive figures and almost the largest losses of military aviation since the Second World War. In total, over 10 years in Afghanistan, the USSR lost 118 aircraft and 333 helicopters, mostly thanks to FIM-92 Stinger ATGM, which was baptized there (yes, there was also the Falklands War, but it was shorter and the Stinger was used in a limited way).

In general, the greatest losses in aviation of the USSR were suffered in the Korean War (1950–1953). According to American data, the USSR, China and North Korea together missed 750 aircraft. The US and its allies lost 413 aircraft.

A few more wars with large aviation losses are the Yom Kippur War (1973), when the Israelis destroyed 277 Egyptian and Syrian planes in 20 days, losing only 6 of their own, and the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) – 234 Iraqi and 73 Iranian planes were shot down.

According to the data of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 277 aircraft, 258 helicopters and 1450 UAVs of the Russian aggressors have been destroyed today.

According to documented data of Oryx OSINT the Russians lost 63 planes, 57 helicopters and 143 UAVs. But we remember that Oryx data, as usual, can be safely multiplied by 3-4.

Oryx fixes losses of the Armed Forces at the level of 55 aircraft, 22 helicopters and 48 UAVs. But here we would not multiply, because Ukraine simply did not have such a number of planes at the beginning of a full-scale war, there were no large deliveries of planes from the allies, and many Ukrainians still see our defenders in the sky.

Therefore, we wish the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to destroy the Russian occupiers. 277 shot down is just the beginning.