The US has bought a haul of ex-Soviet era combat planes from one of Russia's key allies.
Kazakhstan has been slowly replacing its outdated Soviet-era combat aircraft with modern versions, such as the Russian Su-30SM multi-role aircraft. In October, it was revealed that the Kazakh government had put up for auction 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter-bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the 70s and 80s.
The aircraft were valued at one billion tenge (£1.8million), the Kyiv Post reports, putting the value of each plane at about £15,300. The sale notice highlighted that the planes were in an unusable state, their modernisation was deemed economically unviable, and their use as a source of spare parts was limited.
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Attempts to gain air superiority has been a key part of the war in Ukraine (Ministry of Defence via Getty Im)Despite this, Russian English language news site Reporter.RU and Ukrainian Telegram channel Insider UA reported that the US had recently bought 81 of these aircraft through offshore entities, including MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-24 models.
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The purpose of the purchase wasn't disclosed, but speculation suggests that since these aircraft types are all in service with Ukraine, they may eventually be transferred to Kyiv. It's been suggested that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) could dismantle them for spare parts or use the obsolete airframes as decoys at airfields.
News surfaced today about allies working diligently to boost the strength of Ukraine following a notable gap in aid. Still, they stressed that a large-scale offensive is unlikely.
The planes are reportedly in an unusable state (Ministry of Defence via Getty Im)Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks. The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defence official told reporters Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on U.S. weapons support for Ukraine before Friday’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting.
For now, the tanks have been moved from the front lines, and the U.S. will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and a third defence official who confirmed the move on the condition of anonymity.
“When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armour in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk,” Grady told the AP in an interview this week, adding that tanks are still important.
“Now, there is a way to do it,” he said. “We’ll work with our Ukrainian partners, and other partners on the ground, to help them think through how they might use that, in that kind of changed environment now, where everything is seen immediately.”
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