Russia Establishes “Elite Group in the Air Called Shtorm” to Operate over Ukraine: British Ministry of Defense Report

The British Ministry of Defense reports on Monday morning on Twitter that Russia is establishing what will be an “elite group in the air called “Shtorm” and will operate over Ukraine”.

According to the British, the units will probably consist of at least one squadron of Su-24 Fencer fighters and Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers and a squadron of attack helicopters.

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Lures of high salaries

According to the British, this combination will indicate that the group will primarily carry out ground operations.

The British also refer to Russian reports which suggest that the Russian Ministry of Defense wants to attract “the most competent and motivated pilots” by promising high salaries and incentives and, in addition, open to recruiting retired pilots.

The British believe the establishment indicates that Russia believes its regular air force squadrons have “severely underperformed in their core functions”, especially when it comes to airstrikes against the Ukrainian front lines.

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Ukraine wants F-16

The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy puts pressure on the West to gain access to F-16 fighter jets. Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have advocated forming a coalition of countries that would supply Ukraine with fighter jets. Other NATO countries have been skeptical about equipping the country with the F-16.

On Monday, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, warned that sending fighter jets to Ukraine could mean they would have to take off from Nato airfields, raising questions about Nato’s role in the war.

Western countries face a “colossal risk” if they send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, read the first comment from Russian authorities after Biden made his decision to take part in the F-16 coalition on Friday.