A MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian Air Force at an air base near Kiev. File photoMOSCOW, 15 Feb. Ukrainian pilots are leaving the Air Force of the Republic en masse due to low salaries and excessive bureaucracy, writes David Ax, a columnist for the American newspaper Forbes. According to him, Kiev has from 37 to 70 such vehicles in service, but they would hardly be able to oppose the Russian Aerospace Forces in the event of a hypothetical collision. jpg» />»We are idiots». The British realized that there would be no Russian «invasion» of Ukraine. «However, the aging MiGs are probably not Ukraine's biggest problem. The lack of pilots in the Armed Forces of the state can chain many planes to the ground,» the author noted. According to Ax, 70 people quit the Air Force in 2019-2020; in 2021, five pilots refused to renew their contract. They complained about low wages, paperwork and poor training in military affairs, the article says. In recent months, Western media have increasingly begun to publish reports that Russia is preparing an «offensive» on Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied these publications. The director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, called the stuff about the «invasion» malicious propaganda of the US State Department. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in turn, noted that Russia has never threatened the Ukrainian people.
