Russians ready to risk aircraft, trying to replicate effect of seizure of Avdiivka - ISW

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a new Russian offensive campaign assessment, Ukrinform reports.

According to ISW analysts, Russian forces used glide bomb strikes to tactical effect in their seizure of Avdiivka in mid-February and are likely attempting to replicate such effects to support ongoing offensive operations elsewhere on the front. 

They refer to a Forbes report on March 4 that Russian Su-34 aircraft, escorted by Su-35 aircraft, are conducting one hundred or more sorties per day to conduct glide bomb strikes on Ukrainian positions at a range of about 40 kilometers.

The New York Times reported on March 5 that Russian tactics are shifting to intensify operations in the air domain and that Russian forces' "more aggressive" air support on the front lines has helped Russian forces to advance recently in eastern Ukraine.

"These reports suggest that the Russian Air Force is maintaining a high tempo of fixed-wing air missions in Ukraine and is possibly willing to tolerate risks to fixed-wing aircraft, likely because the Russian command may have decided that the positive effects generated by such air operations outweigh the costs associated with flying such missions," ISW said.