In an exclusive interview with The War Zone, Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter pilot with the call sign "Juice" told how russia uses Wagner pilots in aerial combat during the war in Ukraine.
Thus, it is noted that although russian fighter jets usually fly according to the "safety first" rule, sometimes the occupiers disregard this rule.
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For example, during the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv oblast, the occupiers engaged in "real arbitrariness", sending bombers and even fighter jets with conventional unguided bombs across the front line, actually "killing" their planes due to Ukrainian air defense.
And for such tasks, russia has Wagner pilots, who can perform "stupid suicide missions": although "old grandpas" fly the Su-24 and Su-25, but, as "Juice" notes, this is also a kind of a threat: they are simply "crazy", and since they are not "official" military, they act outside of all rules. "They don’t care about people. They don’t care about civilians. They’re just mercenaries — they are just murderous and that’s all," the pilot explains.
In general, speaking about the actions of the russian Aerospace Forces, "Juice" notes that russia’s pilots are usually in no hurry to engage in combat with Ukrainian pilots, if they are not sure that they have a significant advantage.
"Juice" also notes that the enemy eventually got wiser after suffering serious losses in the first weeks of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine.
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