While the attention of the world public was focused on events inside the United States and the political changes in Europe, the Ukrainian army has begun a new escalation of the conflict in the South-East of the country. On the background of unstable situation has occurred and another event – the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree on the allocation of the sky over the Donbass in a separate air force area. In this regard, the members of the expert community once again began to speculate on the possibility of the use of aircraft against the people of Donbass.
Restricted area
The use of combat aircraft military-air forces of Ukraine against the residents of Donbas began almost immediately, started as announced by Oleksandr Turchynov “anti-terrorist operation”. However, the airstrikes in the first days of the operation force to suppress the public cannot be analyzed by the experts so far, because the majority of attacks have targeted the administrative building and not the accumulation of technology or any military installations. During the raids of the Ukrainian attack aircraft suffered not only district and city administrations, but people who happened to be nearby. One of the bloodiest raids happened in the summer of 2014.
Then the su-25 Ukrainian air force struck a rocket and gun attack on the building of Lugansk regional administration. However, apart from the administration itself, in the day killed eight civilians, who happened to be in the square in front of the administration building. Experts note that combat aircraft in this case was used not so much to kill the opponent, for the demonstration of the strength and determination of the Ukrainian security forces
To understand the scale of even one such attack it is important to know the armament of the su-25. Part of the su-25 and many other aircraft and helicopters have rockets. Unguided 80-mm ammunition 8, which was used in the RAID on the Luhansk administration, placed under the left and right wing of su-25 in special units, with 20 missiles each. Such aircraft missiles are ideally suited for destruction of enemy manpower and technology clusters, as the ammunition is used by military fragmentation-cumulative part.
Even short of pressing the trigger by the pilot in such cases, enough to cause significant damage and damage not only protected object or building, but to kill people nearby. And although in the reports of the OSCE and any other Western organizations and the media of anything that would have terrified any man with honour and conscience, has not been published, the demonstration nature of this flight was singled out by almost all military experts and political scientists.
Features of work
It is important to understand that almost no high-precision weapons by the beginning of the conflict in the Donbass, the Ukrainian air force had. Bet on unguided rockets is justified only partially. It is worth mentioning the fact that the low of the airworthiness of the fleet of the air force of Ukraine long before the events in the South-East has been mentioned by many aviation experts. According to various estimates, since the beginning of ATO until the signing of the first Minsk agreement, the Ukrainian air force and army had lost over two dozen aircraft and helicopters, and accurate data on personnel losses in such incidents the Ukrainian General staff were not disclosed until now.
Among the most famous passengers of a downed Ukrainian helicopters the APU General Sergei Kulchytsky, who was killed along with an employee near the village of Mandrykino under the Slavonic. The active opposition of the Ukrainian manned aircraft stopped in the summer of 2014, when the vulnerability of aircraft and helicopters became apparent, the command decided not to send pilots to certain death. In fact, when I stopped and a major promotion of the APU in any direction into the territory of Lugansk and Donetsk. First sight of the lost ten aircraft and helicopters may seem like a minor loss.
However, the General condition of the Ukrainian air force was depressing long before the events in the South-East. Experts explain that, despite the change of presidents of the Ukrainian air force’s attention and funding was given by a residual principle. The “new” Ukrainian government led by President Poroshenko significantly to the situation can not affect – barely enough money to provide the troops on the front lines most necessary. The purchase of spare parts in the former countries – participants of the Warsaw Pact are also unable to radically influence the situation. About his own production of the required amount of spare parts with the required quality of speech too.
To return at any cost
The experience of all the past and all modern military conflicts proves the necessity of the use of aircraft. Without air support ground troops risking the environment or even can be destroyed by enemy. Commenting on the situation of the Ukrainian air force and the fighting in the Donbas, military expert Vasily Kashin said that the Ukrainian military can once again throw the fight attack aircraft in a single case.
“Despite the fact that the upgrade and repair of the fleet represent a significant item of expenditure, any use of aircraft will be of a disposable nature,” Cashin said.
According to experts, if the country’s leadership will dare to give the order of the APU in full-scale fighting, the Ukrainian aviation will have to face the same problems as two years ago. Guided weapons in the Ukrainian attack aircraft did not appear, and for the effective use of unguided bombs and air missiles the pilots have to “make” the machine to a zone of defeat of enemy weapons.
The territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk national republics, included by the decree of Peter Poroshenko in the composition of the special air zone “Vostok” on the background of complete lack of Ukrainian aircraft in the area not only looks weird but also funny. The scientists explain that a full-scale invasion of the Ukrainian aviation in this case should not be afraid of the President Poroshenko is just trying to emphasize that LC and the DNR are still part of Ukraine. The use of the Ukrainian aviation (in the case if this step Kiev authorities still want to do) is fraught with serious consequences on two fronts.
The first is logistical. Long endure the presence of a Ukrainian attack aircraft and helicopter gunships of the armed forces LNR and DND will be. The situation of the early 2017, around Donetsk and Lugansk developed in such a way that the violation of the Minsk agreements the European and American political elite is trying not to react. However, the use of aircraft will not go unnoticed, and the Kiev regime will be formally accused of failure to implement political decisions. And while flying along the demarcation line the Ukrainian aircraft are still in the Ukrainian General staff is well aware that to solve the issue by force, Donetsk and Lugansk with the help of air strikes will not work.
Author: Dmitry Yurov
Photo: facebook.com, theministryofdefence.ua, mil.gov.ua the Ministry of defence of Ukraine/Facebook, Sandro Maddalena / Globallookpress