What happened to the air war in Ukraine?

When the war in Ukraine began, there were estimates that Russia would establish air superiority within a matter of days. But 9 months into the war, the skies over Ukraine are still contested. Why have Russia struggled to utilise their air power effectively? And how has the war in the air changed as a result?

We look at how Ukraine's air defences have created a denial of air space, and the history of surface to air missile systems, which has led to a lot of the SAMS in the war in Ukraine dating back to the Soviet era. As the skies have become more dangerous due to advanced SAM technology, we’ve seen the development of new systems to resist air dominance, such as new surveillance and combat drones.

IWM's free photography display 'Ukraine: Photographs from the Front Line' opens at IWM London on 3 February: https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/iwm-lon...

IMAGE CREDITS
Russian footage via Mil.ru (CC BY 4.0)
Ukrainian footage via armyinform.com.ua (CC BY 4.0)
The crash site of a Russian Su-34 shot down over the private sector of Chernihiv via dsns.gov.ua
Soviet Air Defence Documentary Series by Wings of Russia Studio
Russian helicopter Mi-35 shot down by Ukrainian forces via armyinform.com.ua
Ukrainian servicemen with downed Russian drone via dshv.mil.gov.ua
Shahed 136 drone via Iranian ministry of defence