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The UK defense ministry said in its intelligence report that a Russian pilot shot down and captured by Ukrainian forces revealed himself to be a retired major in the Russian air force.
The pilot said he worked as a Wagner military contractor and flew many flights during the war.
“The use of retired personnel, now working as Wagner contractors, to conduct close air support missions indicates that the Russian air force likely is struggling to support the invasion of Ukraine with sufficient aircrew,” the MoD said in a tweet.
“This is likely due to a combination of Russia’s insufficient numbers of suitably trained personnel and its combat losses,” the ministry said, adding that the Russian pilot reportedly used commercial GPS devices rather than Russian military navigation equipment.
This indicates that Wagner's planes are older Su-25 types and that the Russian air force is not giving Wagner modern avionics.
Picture Credits: Reuters
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