According to Rajan Menon, a Russia and Ukraine expert and a director of the US-based Defense Priorities think tank, the aircraft appeared to get unusually close to the front lines. He said that their fate will make Russia even more wary about how it uses the ones that remain. “It’s going to certainly make them more jittery,” Menon told BI. “They’re going to be much more careful in how and where they use them. No question.”
The latest losses come after Ukraine downed five Russian jets in December. Considering those losses together, Manon said: “For the Russian Air Force, it’s kind of embarrassing.”
“You have these two episodes in rapid succession: you lose five fighter jets, and now you lose two of these aircraft,” he added.
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