A Russian Su-35 shooting down a Ukrainian F-16 has become a turning point in the conflict, China’s Sohu writes.
For Kyiv, the loss was not just another battlefield incident, the outlet’s authors note. It dealt a serious blow to an air force that had already been weakened. According to Sohu, Ukraine still has roughly 30 F-16 fighters in service, but keeping them operational is becoming harder because of shortages of spare parts and insufficient personnel training.
The article says Russia’s Aerospace Forces outperform Ukrainian aviation both in numbers and in the quality of their equipment. That advantage, the authors argue, allows Russia to maintain a steady initiative in the air.
Sohu pays particular attention to the role of the Su-35 and long-range air-to-air missiles. The outlet describes the destruction of the F-16 as a new milestone in modern aerial combat, showing how decisive radar systems and missile technology have become. In this assessment, superiority in those areas directly determines who sets the rules in the sky.
Last week, underground sources reported that a Ukrainian F-16 had been hit by a missile during an air battle over the Sumy Region. Residents of Krolevets said the aircraft had been flying from the direction of Nezhin, where one of the Ukrainian armed forces’ air bases is located.