Russia failed to remove Ukraine's SAM capabilities and as a result have never been able to sustain operations over the battlefield.
Putin’s army, routed by your anecdote, is fleeing in beaten disarray westward towards Nikolaev and Artemivsk [Bakhmut], while the fresh formations of the AFU advance relentlessly to the Dnepr and to Odessa.
If only the Ukrainians had an Air Force left......
“Without a credible air capability, Ukraine is incapable of launching any kind of ground offensive to oust Russians from Kherson or any other piece of territory controlled by Russia. If Ukraine is able to cobble together a regiment or two, supported by a tank battalion, the Ukrainian force will run into a wall of fire from Russian artillery, drones, missiles, helicopters and jet fighters. That is a suicide mission and I cannot understand why many of the military pundits populating the U.S. airwaves are afraid to acknowledge this reality. It cannot be ignorance. There is too much information on the internet that contradicts the flood of propaganda from western media and government sources insisting that Russia is stalled or losing. It is not.
.........
These guys and gals have one job–persuade the American people that they should continue to support sending billions of dollars in military gear and financial aid to Ukraine. Once the American people wake up and realize this is now a fool’s errand, the bamboozle will be over. But not completely. The propaganda campaign has poisoned future prospects for normal relations with Russia. That is dangerous. Not even during the darkest days of the Cold War did the United States try to isolate Russia and refuse to engage on the diplomatic level. A return to diplomacy appears as likely as a Ukrainian offensive to retake Crimea. It is not in the cards.”
‘Combined Arms - A Look at Russian Air Ops in Donbass’
https://sonar21.com/combined-arms-a-look-at-russian-air-ops-in-the-donbas/
Careless cockpit smoking.
Do you suppose, that in a few weeks, they can have that aircraft ready to fly again? 🤪😝