There has been an uptick in russian tactical combat air sorties, especially over southern Ukraine.
This is reported by the UK Ministry of Defence.
As highlighted by British Intelligence, this has almost certainly been in response to reports of increased Ukrainian offensive operations, as the russian Aerospace Forces attempt to support ground troops with air strikes.
Despite the surge, the daily intensity of combat flights by the russian Aerospace Forces remains much lower than the peak – up to 300 daily combat flights at the beginning of the war.
British Intelligence has also noted that it is specifically over Southern Ukraine that Russians most often deploy their air force compared to other front sectors.
Additionally, over the past year, the russian Aerospace Forces have increased the use of "air-to-surface" weaponry, for instance, glide bombs, which allow attack aircraft to stay at a significant distance from their targets.
Background. Over the past day, the enemy carried out 39 air strikes on the positions of our troops and populated areas.