Its pilots also can quickly bring boots on the the ground, once they got shot down.
I am not the first pointing out that Russia probably has the strongest and deepest-layered aerial missile and interceptor defence in the world. Russian equipment in the Middle East operated by Arab crews, not trained Russians, should not be the standard by which to judge the systems technical efficiency. And I remind that Russia claism since years that its new radars have seriously degraded the stealth fighters efficiency to hide. Who wants to find out if that is true? I am not eager.
Much of the Ukraine, and beyond, is practically a Russian air and missile defence zone. Russian missiles of many kinds also reach far into Europe, last but not least from Kaliningrad.
This is not Libya, or the Iraq, or Afghanistan. Nor is it the technically disadvantaged Sovjet Union.
Most of NATO's aerial anti-tank-campaign in Yugoslavia fell for dummies, btw. Regarding reducing the combat readiness and efficiency of the Yugoslavian ground forces, it was a huge failure, the attacked Yugoslavian brigades retreated later practically fully integrated and in coordinated fashion, with small losses suffered, and and combat-ready. It was the bombing of civilian and industrial infrastructure that forced Yugoslavia to give up, not the damage done to its armed forces.
And still, this is an issue the Europeans must come to terms with. Its no American issue. And if Europe proves to be incapable to handle it, it only proves what everybody already knows anyway: that it is strong in words and weak in powers. Last but not least thanks to Germany, Europe has brought itself into such a hopeless dilemma that practically no good options are left. And that accusation goes beyond just Norstream 2.
We should have stuck with oil as long as needed, and never should have given up nuclear. Now we hope to have - Russian - gas as an interims solution after having scared away all investors. And we push for ever stronger climate goals and expensive costs while our private households and energy-intensive industries are facing threatening energy and gas prices.
Vollpfosten.
If Germany talks of sanctions, it is completely uncredible. Russia would retaliate with cutting gas. Germany would survive that, but the economic and private costs would be very high.