Russia and Ukraine battle daily in the sky. So where are the pilots?

A woman walks past graffiti depicting a Ukrainian soldier firing a missile, in Kyiv on Jan. 25. The Russians are fighting an intense air war, but it involves mostly missiles, drones and anti-aircraft system. Traditional air strikes by piloted war planes have been relatively rare. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia and Ukraine are waging a fierce fight in the sky. Russia unleashes drones and missiles. Ukraine often shoots them down with its own missiles, and carries out its own drone strikes.

Yet one thing makes this battle distinctive from all previous air wars of the past century: pilots are rare. And this goes very much against the traditional perception of air combat.