The Ukrainian media quoted Serhiy Holubtsov, the Chief of Aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, as saying that his country will station some of its F-16 jets outside its territory.
He said that a certain number of aircraft will be housed in secure airbases outside of Ukraine to guarantee that they are not targets here. He added that some of the aircraft will remain at the sites where Ukrainian pilots and aviation personnel are being trained.
In addition, Golubtsov stated that the aircraft located overseas would serve as a reserve in the event that faulty fighters needed to be replaced.
The statement comes after Russia’s continuous attacks on the bases that Ukraine set up on its territory to house F-16s. In order to prevent damage by foreign objects, the F-16s require that bases be at least clean for takeoff and landing. However, Ukraine is unable to meet this requirement because of Russia’s continuous strikes. Western commentators believe that Russia’s dominance in the air will be detrimental to Ukraine’s use of F-16s from its territory. Russia also considers F-16 nuclear-capable.
Meanwhile, a Russian company, “Forres,” promised a reward of 15 million rubles (about 1.68 million USD) for the first downed F-16. The company’s CEO, Sergey Shmotyev, announced this at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-24), which concluded on June 8.
The Netherlands and Denmark were the first to agree on providing Ukraine with F-16 fighters. The White House acknowledged that Ukraine will acquire combat aircraft from other countries once its pilots have completed their training. The Dutch Minister of Defense announced that the Hague intends to send the first F-16 jets to Kyiv in 2024. In turn, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said that Brussels would send 30 F-16 fighters to Kyiv by 2028, with the first aircraft due to arrive this year.
Moscow argues that supplying armaments to Ukraine undermines the peace process, directly involves NATO countries in the war, and is “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that any supplies of weaponry to Ukraine would be valid targets for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the battle by providing armaments and training personnel in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and other nations. The Kremlin has indicated that the Western arming of Ukraine is counterproductive to discussions and will have a detrimental impact.
Russian President Putin has said that Russia will hit Ukranian F-16s from the place they operate, even if outside Ukraine.
