F-16 fighter jets have been seen over the skies of Ukraine in Lviv on Wednesday following reports the warplanes are operational.
Media channels showed footage of what appears to be an F-16 flying above Lviv’s Rynok Square and another sighting was seen over Odesa, the Kyiv Post reports.
Bloomberg reported Ukraine has finally received their first batch of the US fourth generation F-16s and Lithuania’s Foreign Minister and a US official informed Reuters the multi-role jets are operational.
🚨 First sighting of F-16 in Ukraine. Likely Odessa region. pic.twitter.com/5yj29SIyLR
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 31, 2024
“F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on X.
The Times reported that six F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine from the Netherlands and more will come.
The cat is out of the bag and it seems that they wanted us to know.
F-16 over Lviv, Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ps2srtaPxn
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) July 31, 2024
Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President said, “Ukraine will not officially confirm the arrival of F-16. In this matter, ‘the fog of war is very useful’.”
The F-16 fighter jets are equipped to carry bombs, rockets, missiles and can also carry nuclear weapons and are fitted with a 20mm cannon.
Each fighter jet is worth £60 million and is most likely fitted with missiles supplied by the UK.
