The Ukrainian Air Force utilized US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets for the first time on Monday to intercept Russian missiles, as claimed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. However, he stated that the number of warplanes supplied by Western countries thus far is insufficient.
Last year, several NATO member states, including the United States, France, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, committed to donating their F-16 aircraft to Kiev. These countries established an ‘F-16 coalition’ for streamlining deliveries and arranging pilot training programs.
Although no definitive deadline has been set, with the fighter jets expected to arrive in multiple batches over several years, Ukraine is estimated to receive approximately 85 of these aircraft, as per media reports.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Zelensky informed reporters: “The F-16 [had] a good result… As part of this enormous [Russian] missile attack [on Monday], we shot down some of the rockets with the help of F-16s.” While expressing gratitude to Ukraine’s Western allies for providing the fighter jets, Zelensky emphasized the need for more deliveries and expanded training programs for Ukrainian pilots.
On Monday, Russia launched a significant combined strike that Kiev authorities described as one of the largest since the start of the conflict in February 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that this “massive high-precision attack” against Ukraine was executed using long-range air- and sea-based weapons, along with drones. The primary targets were energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s defense industrial complex and several airfields storing Western-supplied air munitions, according to officials.
The statement from the Russian Defense Ministry stated that “all the designated targets have been hit.
Earlier this month, Zelensky confirmed on his Telegram channel the arrival of the first US-made F-16s but did not disclose the numbers. He highlighted the aircraft’s capability to deliver “exactly such combat results that will bring our victory closer – our just peace for Ukraine.
Moscow has issued a warning that the F-16s, like other Western weapons provided to Kiev, will not alter the course of the conflict and will only serve to prolong the violence. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the fighter jets are not a “magic pill” and will gradually be “shot down and destroyed.” He predicted that the arrival of F-16s “will not be able to significantly influence the dynamics of events at the front.