Russia's Air Force is in Crisis
Fronts Staff • October 31, 2026
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Note: this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or inconsistencies.
On the eve of February 23rd, 2022, the Russian Aerospace Forces, commonly known
As VKS, was on
Paper the second largest airpower in the world behind only the US armed forces.
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About this briefing
Russia's air force faces a hidden crisis beyond battlefield losses. Forced to operate from distant bases to avoid Ukrainian strikes, aircraft accumulate unprecedented flight hours, rapidly exhausting limited lifespans. With Soviet-era designs requiring frequent maintenance and spare parts increasingly scarce, the fleet faces accelerating degradation, crashes, and looming operational collapse.