After sustaining heavy losses after years of fighting (including wear and tear), the Russian Air Force has still not established air superiority.

Russia and the US have had contact on the subject of the war in Ukraine via “closed channels” at the military and political levels, according to a top Russian foreign relations official.

Despite increased production of Su-35 and Su-57 fighters, Russia's Su-35 "Flanker-E" has struggled in Ukraine. Originally designed to rival American fourth-generation jets, the Su-35 boasts a range of missiles,

However, the Russian Air Force remains far more capable than its Ukrainian counterpart. Russia has long seen the air force as a form of long-range artillery in support of the army rather than as a power of its own (which is mostly how it has been used in this war).