Ukraine needs multi-purpose fighter jets, which, in tandem with long-range artillery that Ukraine awaits to be supplied, are urgently necessary for the de-occupation of territories seized by Russia, spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian TV on 7 August.
“I’ll put it simply: we need planes now and today. We need to close the Ukrainian sky. The sky we are, after all, holding today: for three months, Russian aviation has not flown (into Ukraine-controlled territory). However, we need to de-occupy our territories and to control the entire airspace of our country. That’s why we need multi-purpose fighter jets,” he said.