It has been 19 months since the Russian-Ukrainian war has not ended. Instead of subsiding, the intensity of the mutual attacks continued to increase and the battlefield area continued to expand. Russia even recently deployed Su-34 Fullback fighter bombers equipped with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles.
Previously, hypersonic ballistic missiles were only installed on the MiG-31K platform. Therefore, Chinese media predicts that the coming winter in Ukraine will be even more tense with the onslaught of Russian fighter jets.
Before starting to massively use kamikaze drones and other defense equipment from Iran, Russia, through the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), first deployed a series of their elite fighter jets to pressure Ukraine on the front line of battle, such as the Su-35, Su-34 and MiG- 31.
The Sukhoi Su-34 was the first to appear on the battlefield. Since the Russo-Ukrainian War erupted on February 28 last year, the Russian Air Force at the start of the war had deployed seven Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback fighter bombers to Kharkiv.
The success of presenting moncer in Syria is a gamble in itself for Russia. If it fails in Ukraine, it is not impossible that the image of the quality of Russia's defense equipment, in terms of fighter jets, will plummet further. Not to mention the added negative framing from Western media.
The Sukhoi Su-34 itself is a long-range fighter bomber designed as a replacement for the Su-24 Fencer. Even though it is not equipped with a weapons bay, the Su-34 can carry large amounts of ammunition with 12 hardpoints.
Not long after, VKS also sent Su-35s to the battlefield in Ukraine, followed by the deployment of MiG-31Ks equipped with hypersonic ballistic missiles – the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile.
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is not just any air-launched ballistic missile, what is worrying is the hypersonic speed of this missile, namely in the range of Mach 10 – Mach 12 (12,250 – 14,701 km per hour), so it will be difficult to intercept. Additionally, the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is capable of carrying a 500 kg warhead, the options of which include nuclear or high explosive fragmentation warheads.
Russia also sent Mikoyan MiG-31s (NATO code name Foxhounds) equipped with long-range Vympel R-37M air-to-air missiles. Although it was not widely reported, several pro-Russian Telegram channels said the Foxhounds had succeeded in 'smoking' Ukrainian fighter jets from a height where they were unable to reach them and then dropped missiles.
The dominance of the Sumination-35, Su-34 and MiG-31 on the battlefield in Ukraine is predicted by Chinese media, China National Radio (CNR), will continue and make the coming winter in Ukraine a 'hell'. In winter last year, Russia stepped up its offensive to overturn Kiev's warfighting capabilities. It is claimed that this strategy will be repeated, even with stronger attacks.
Although the increase in Ukraine's fighting power is inevitable thanks to reinforcements from the West and NATO, its numbers are still very small compared to Russia's defense equipment ranks. This is what ultimately sparked the prediction.
The Chinese media also quoted military observer Shao Yongling, who claimed that the “combination” of the Su-34 with cruise missiles increases Russia's capacity for long-range strikes and increases the ability to hit targets more precisely.
