MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Russia’s Su-35 planes easily hit Ukrainian positions on the ground and Ukrainian planes cannot compete with them, Ukrainian armed forces commander Valery Zaluzhny said in an interview for The Washington Post.
"Because Russia’s more modern fleet of Su-35s have a far superior radar and missile range, Ukraine’s older jets cannot compete. Troops on the ground are easily targeted as a result," he said, according to the report.
Zaluzhny also noted that the number of NATO planes on duty near Ukraine’s western border is twice as high as the number of Russian planes "devastating" Ukrainian positions.
"Why can’t we take at least a third of it from there and move it here?" he asked. "Nobody is saying that tomorrow we should rearm and get 120 planes," Zaluzhny said. "Why? I do not need 120 planes […] A very limited number would be enough."
The Ukrainian commander noted that the Russian Aerospace Forces use modern aviation and Ukrainian forces cannot counter it.
"It’s like we’d go on the offensive with bows and arrows now," he said.
Kiev has long been asking its Western allies to provide F-16 planes. Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andrey Yermak said that Kiev expects to receive these planes before the end of this year. According to Kiev authorities, almost all Western states included in the so-called "aircraft coalition" are ready to provide these planes.
In early June, Ukrainian Air Force Spokesman Yuri Ignat said that Ukrainian pilots may soon depart abroad for training. In late May, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the collective West expects to begin training Ukrainian pilots in using the F-16s in the upcoming weeks. According to Austin, Denmark and the Netherlands would lead the coalition that coordinates the training of Ukrainian pilots. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov noted that Ukrainian forces will be able to begin using the F-16s in combat only this fall or winter, because pilot and engineer training takes time.