Featured Image Credit: CNN/Alamy
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, World News
Hannah Smith
A Ukrainian fighter pilot has claimed that Russia is taking 'a lot of losses' as he asks for more fighters jets to help win the battle in the air.
The pilot, who goes by the call sign 'Juice,' gave an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper while on standby, and spoke about how Ukraine was surpassing expectations in defending the skies above its countries from the far larger and better equipped Russian air force.
"Russians have a lot of [losses,] and they have a fear of our air defense, so they couldn’t fly here just comfortable for them," he said, while wearing his helmet and visor to protect his identity.
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US defense officials have assessed that Russia has so far failed to gain total air superiority over the skies of Ukraine, confounding expectations that it would be able to do so in a matter of days.
Reports of lost Russian fighter jets and helicopters have mounted over the almost four weeks since the invasion, with dozens of aircraft having been verified as shot down by either Ukrainian pilots or by ground air defence systems. The Ukrainian air force has also taken an unknown number of losses.
The activities of the Ukrainian air force remain top secret, but speaking to CNN Juice was able to give a glimpse into what he'd been up to.
"I’m sitting just near [the] aircraft or just in the cockpit," he said, "and my colleagues from the radar units, they’re just giving me the information about targets, and I’m taking off and intercepting these threats."
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Juice - who was given his call sign by friends because he doesn't drink alcohol - praised his fellow Ukrainians for their resilience in defending their country, but also urged the US and others to do more to supply them with weapons.
"All of us are ready to fight, just with our jets, with our guns, even just in the fields with rifles. So our people, including me, we are ready to fight Russians, and we are ready to defend our country, to defend our people in absolutely any ways. But we need tools, effective tools, to do this efficiently," he said.
In particular, he called for 'efficient ground air defense systems' and fighter jets to be sent to help Ukraine enforce its own no-fly zone, after NATO ruled out taking action itself.
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A previous proposal by Poland to transfer a fleet of old Soviet fighter jets to the US to then be sent to Ukraine was rejected by the US.
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