Over 20% of Russian Aerospace Force losses self-inflicted - media

More than a fifth of the losses of Russian warplanes and helicopters since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine were non-combat-related but due to equipment malfunctions, pilot errors, and friendly fire.

This is evidenced by data collected by Newsweek, Ukrinform reports.

The publication used open-source intelligence data from Oryx, as well as public reports from the Russian media.

According to Oryx, as of August 17, Russia has lost 186 aircraft and helicopters, of which 13 are designated as "non-combat" losses.

Newsweek was able to confirm the destruction of 221 manned aircraft, including 17 jets and 18 helicopters – a total of 48 units considered non-combat-related losses. Among them are seven Su-25 aircraft, four MiG-31 supersonic interceptors, and three Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance attack helicopters.

Although these figures are by no means exhaustive, they still offer a dire assessment of the current situation of the Russian Aerospace Force, the publication notes.

According to the Ukrainian military, as of Thursday, the total number of losses of the Russian Aerospace Force stands at 315 aircraft and 314 helicopters.

Experts consider poor pilot training in Russia to be one of the reasons behind such stats.