Ukraine’s top general reveals F-16 deployment limits
Ukraine’s Western-donated F-16 warplanes are likely to be vulnerable to Russia’s “superior” aviation and air defenses, when they are finally deployed, Kiev’s top military commander, Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky, has told The Guardian.
The aircraft will likely be used to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, the general stated, admitting that their use would still be limited. The fighter jets would have to stay at least “40 kilometers or more” from the front lines to avoid being shot down by Russian forces, he said in an interview with the British daily published on Wednesday.
According to Syrsky, Moscow has “superior aviation” and “very strong” air defenses that have forced Kiev to increasingly rely on various types of drones instead of aircraft. The general also admitted that the Russian army is bigger and much better equipped than that of Ukraine. “When it comes to equipment, there is a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 in their favor,” he said.
Kiev has yet to receive its first US-made military aircraft. Last year, a group of NATO nations, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, formed the so-called ‘F-16 coalition’. It was later joined by Greece, the US, Bulgaria, and France.
Some of the coalition members pledged to provide Kiev with the Western aircraft from their stocks while others trained Ukrainian pilots. The outgoing Dutch government stated earlier in July that it had finalized preparations for the delivery of its F-16s, adding that it would take place “soon.” Amsterdam vowed to send a total of 24 aircraft.
Russia has warned that the ever-increasing level of support that NATO states extend to Kiev makes them de-facto participants of the conflict. The nation’s top officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war waged by the bloc against Russia.
Moscow has said that F-16s will not change the outcome of the conflict, just like other Western weapons provided to Kiev. The Russian military will destroy the planes as it has done with other Ukrainian hardware, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this year.
A private Russian company even offered a bounty of 15 million rubles ($170,000) for the destruction of the first US-made aircraft in the conflict.
