The US, Denmark and the Netherlands have said the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine has already started and they will “operational this summer.”
The multi-role fighter jets will help to protect Ukraine’s skies and target Russian troops on the eastern front.
Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, “As a symbolic effort, it’s tremendously important… This was really the last item that Zelensky had highlighted as important for Ukrainian defense.”
Ukrainian forces have received billions in military aid packages such as ATACMS missiles, HIMARs rocket launchers air defence systems, artillery and so on.
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Cancian said, “In each case, providing that weapon had an important symbolic and psychological impact, putting aside, you know, what the battlefield impact might be.”
He cautioned that the F-16 fighter jets “I think it will help for air defenses… but it’s not going to be a silver bullet.”
He added there “just aren’t going to be enough of them” to win the war alone.
Last month Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said that Russia is pushing hard to try and erode Ukrainian forces before the F-16 multi-role fighter jets arrive.
Before Western aide arrives, Russian troops are fighting hard “to maximise the depletion” against Kyiv’s forces.
Syrsky said in the Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhivska and Vremivka sectors in the Donetsk region, Russian forces have been conducting “active offensive actions of varying intensity.”
He added, “The enemy is well aware that as a result of the gradual receipt of a significant amount of weapons and military equipment from our partners, and the arrival of the first F-16s, which will strengthen our air defense, time will play in our favor and [the Kremlin’s] chances of success will decrease.”
There are fears in the Kremlin and amongst military bloggers that the Ukrainian ‘aviation armada’ of F-16 fighter jets will blitz Russian military targets in Crimea.
Ukrainian forces have destroyed Russia’s air-defence systems which have failed to shoot down US supplied missiles.
US supplied ATACMS which is a ballistic missile have blown up various Russian targets and have a range of 186 miles.
