In their intelligence update, the MoD said: “On 3 November 2022, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, stated that Russia had lost over twice the number of aircraft in Ukraine than in the Soviet-Afghan War. This amounts to 278 aircraft lost in Ukraine compared to 119 in Afghanistan.

“Whilst we cannot independently verify these figures, Russia’s continued lack of air superiority is likely exacerbated by poor training, loss of experienced crews, and heightened risks of conducting close air support in dense air defence zones.

"This is unlikely to change in the next few months. Russia’s aircraft losses likely significantly outstrip their capacity to manufacture new airframes. The time required for the training of competent pilots further reduces Russia’s ability to regenerate combat air capability”

Russian forces are stepping up their strikes in a fiercely contested region of eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said.

The action is worsening the already tough conditions for residents and the defending army following Moscow’s illegal annexation and declaration of martial law in Donetsk province, they said.

Between Saturday and Sunday, Russia launched four missiles and 19 air strikes impacting more than 35 villages in seven regions, from Chernihiv and Kharkiv in the north east to Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south, according to the president’s office.

Russia has focused on striking energy infrastructure over the last month, causing power shortages and rolling outages across the country.

Ukraine conflict: Russia’s aircraft losses likely significantly outstrip their capacity to manufacture more says MoD