Russia is creating an “elite” attack aviation group after previous air strikes “severely underperformed” in Ukraine, according to the UK.
Moscow has carried out a brutal series of missile attacks against civilian infrastructure across Ukraine as part of its ongoing assault on the country.
But, Ukraine has been able to intercept many air strikes through its defence systems – and last week, Kyiv claimed it managed to shoot down six “unstoppable” Russian hypersonic missiles, although Russia allegedly denied this.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has now suggested in its latest daily update that Russia is now looking to upgrade its air attack force.
Under the code name “Shtorm”, the new group would allegedly include a mix of aircraft types from bombers to attack helicopters, which would all have a “primary role of ground attack missions”.
The MoD also claimed: “The creation of the group highlights how Russia assesses its regular air force squadrons have severely underperformed in their core function of conducting airstrikes on Ukrainian lines.”
Ukraine is said to be using the Patriot air defence system – one of the most advanced systems in the US’s arsenal – to shoot down Russian missiles.
Moscow’s plan to upgrade its air forces comes as it is preparing itself for Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive.
Using satellite imagery, the BBC has found that Moscow is building up fortifications along the coast and in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Moscow also claimed Kyiv was behind a mysterious drone attack on the Kremlin, where the Russian government is based, only earlier this month.
Ukraine denied any involvement, and has repeatedly claimed that it is only acting in defence against Russia and to retrieve its occupied land.
Russia scaled down many of its celebrations for the annual Victory Day parade too, in a move which was interpreted as a sign of how depleted the country’s resources are after 15 months of war.