High risks at low altitude: Ukraine’s pilots reveal tactics giving them the edge in the skies

Russian fighter pilots are unable to handle the high-risk tactics of their Ukrainian counterparts, according to the Kyiv pilots battling them in the skies. 

In interviews where they identify themselves only by their call signs or first name, the pilots said Russia had underestimated the Ukrainian air force amid reports that hundreds of Russian aircraft have been shot down.

“It’s our land, it’s our families, it’s our cities. We are defending them. That’s the main motivation for us. And we succeed in this, because the Russians are surprised,” said one 29-year-old MiG-29 fighter pilot with the call sign “Juice” in an interview with the news magazine Coffee or Die.

“They are f---ing surprised. Especially about our ground air defences, and also about our fighters. Because they were not expecting resistance in the air at all,” he said. 

“We are trained to do some crazy s---,” added the pilot, who said he simply flew “faster and lower” than Russia’s missile defence systems to complete missions.

Speaking to Ukraine-based correspondent Nolan Peterson, Juice said the pilots were glued to their jets, only leaving them to use the lavatory, and were sleeping with their radios.

He compared his comrades to “Spartan” fighters who “don’t give a s---” about technical challenges and are fuelled by a determination to see off Vladimir Putin’s invaders and protect their families.

The fighter pilots were working so hard that they only had time to honour a fallen comrade by sharing a piece of bread and a glass of vodka, Coffee or Die magazine reported.  

Another pilot, who gave his name as “Andriy”, told CNN in an interview that Russia had a numerical advantage but claimed Moscow’s air force now fears to fly on sorties due to the high losses already sustained.

“Many Russian pilots refuse to fight because we are shooting them down,” he told the US network. “I provide backup and cover for the aviation that is working at covering the ground. I focus on destroying missiles and enemy aviation, like air to air ... I can’t tell you how many, but I’ve shot down Russian jets.”

One month into the war, Ukrainian officials say they have shot down around a hundred Russian jets and a further 120 helicopters, defying expectations that Moscow would quickly take control of the skies.

The exact details of how Ukraine has held back Russia’s air force are shrouded in secrecy, but is said to rely on “unique” tactics and high-risk missions. Ukraine has also benefited from a mixture of old air defence weapons, such as S-300 units, and Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drones, as well as US-provided Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

“Russian pilots fly more modern jets and they are capable of firing missiles at much further distances,” Andriy told CNN. “For example, in order for us to deter missiles that are fired at 80 kilometres distance, we have to approach them at 40 kilometres. If they’ve already fired a missile at us, we somehow have to have it intercepted along the way.”

Intensive training by Nato allies, notably the United States, also appears to be a factor. Coffee or Die magazine’s report said that Ukrainian pilots had frequently trained with the California Air National Guard’s air fighter wing.

‘I don’t want a one-way ticket’

Juice also said he had taken part in Nato training in Turkey and Norway, as well as the United States, which in 2018 took part in a major exercise, Clear Sky, in Ukraine.

“We don’t believe the Russians have achieved air superiority over Ukraine,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said last week when asked about Kyiv’s air force efforts. 

Juice stressed in his interview that Ukraine’s air forces needed “more hardware” to continue the fight.

“We still have this air war, and we still need more hardware, and more advanced stuff, to be successful,” Juice said. “I don’t want a one-way ticket, I want to kill somebody, not just be killed.”