Russia seems to be OK with sacrificing its planes over Ukraine to achieve a bigger prize, experts say

• Russia seems to be more heavily using its air force for glide bomb attacks, the ISW said.
• That's despite Ukraine claiming to have shot down more than a dozen aircraft last month.

Russia seems willing to risk its aircraft in its fight against Ukraine, deciding that losses are worth it despite reports of many being shot down, experts said.

The Washington DC-based Institute for the Study of War said in an update on Tuesday that Russia appears to be maintaining a high frequency of fixed-wing air missions over Ukraine.

Russia "is possibly willing to tolerate risks to fixed-wing aircraft, likely because the Russian command may have decided that the positive effects generated by such air operations outweigh the costs associated with flying such missions," it said.

Ukraine says it shot down more than a dozen Russian military aircraft last month, on top of high killstreaks over the previous months.

But the ISW cited reports this week that suggested Russian aircraft are "continuing to conduct a relatively high volume of glide bomb strikes," despite Ukrainian claims to have downed many Russian jets.

The ISW highlighted a report that said Russian Su-34 aircraft, escorted by Su-35s, were conducting a hundred or more sorties a day using glide bombs.

It also highlighted a New York Times report that said Russia is becoming more active in the air and that its "more aggressive" air support on the front lines has helped it advance recently in eastern Ukraine.

The ISW had previously released an assessment on Monday that suggested Ukraine's reported successes had caused Russia's air force to scale back its flights. But now the ISW says that Russia's tactics appear to have shifted again.

Ukraine's military has been able to hold back Russia's significantly larger and more advanced air force throughout much of the conflict, something that experts say has been crucial to preventing a Russian victory.

But Russia has recently intensified its use of glide bombs, which allow it to strike Ukraine's military and other targets while staying further away from Ukraine's air defense systems and weaponry.

The ISW said on Tuesday that Russia had used them in its efforts to seize the eastern town of Avdiivka last month, and is likely trying to do the same elsewhere.

Ukraine withdrew from Avdiivka last month, with the White House saying the move was because Ukraine didn't have enough ammunition and supplies due to "congressional inaction" as Republicans blocked further aid.

Russia appeared to establish air superiority there — the first time it had done so anywhere in Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began.

Experts warned that it would be devastating for Ukraine if Russia continued to be able to do this.

Russia using glide bombs near Avdiivka may be why Ukraine has been able to shoot down so many Russian jets, experts previously told Business Insider.

Russian aircraft need to fly higher to launch them, giving Ukraine's weaponry more time to target and hit them, they said.

But the missiles Ukraine needs to shoot them down are running low, and experts told BI that this means Russia's air force could soon fly freely, causing effects so devastating that it could end the war.