Russians claiming to shot down F-16 in Ukraine: Air Force comments
Spokesperson of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat (Photo: armyinform.com.ua)
Russian propagandists have started inventing that their troops are allegedly already shooting down F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian Air Force has not even received these planes yet, according to the spokesperson of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat.
"I think that by the end of the day, there will be more reports of 'shot down' F-16s. And by the end of the year, they will finish 'this difficult year,' probably with at least two squadrons," said Ihnat.
At the same time, he noted that such reports from the Russians actually amuse them. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense reports, five Ukrainian planes are "destroyed" every day.
"Well, memes are circulating about F-16s, claiming they have even 'found' them in Ukraine. I receive such questions from colleagues daily: 'Well, off the record, tell me, do they exist (in Ukraine)?' People want to believe that they are in Ukraine. The enemy believed it, and the enemy is 'destroying' them," the spokesperson added.
Ihnat also answered whether the fighter jets are 100 percent ready for deployment to Ukraine.
"Let's not exaggerate about readiness, as the enemy does. There is readiness confirmation from our Western partners that we are ready. We are in the process. Besides pilots, infrastructure and engineers are needed. We have discussed this many times. So, our partners announced that they are ready to transfer. That was the statement," he explained.
F-16s for Ukraine
Previously, Ukraine's allies announced the creation of an aviation coalition to provide the country with modern fighter jets, including F-16s. The Netherlands and Denmark lead the alliance.
In the fall, Politico reported that Ukrainian pilots began flight training on F-16s in the United States, and on October 25, they started flying the F-16. Before that, they trained on flight simulators that fully replicated the aircraft's cockpit.
On December 22, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the government had decided to prepare the first 18 F-16 fighter jets for transfer to Ukraine. During negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Dutch government for its decision regarding these aircraft.
Previously, the spokesperson for the Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, explained that the transferred F-16s to Ukraine would need some upgrades to match Russian aviation in terms of parameters.
