dpa
Kiev
US-made F-16 fighter jets due to be delivered to Ukraine in the near future could make a significant contribution to securing the country’s airspace from Russian attacks, a Ukrainian military expert said on Monday.
The jets offer "many possibilities for basic airspace protection,” said aviation expert Anatoly Khrapchinsky on Ukrainian television. The expected deliveries could be more effective than the air defence systems that Ukraine currently possesses.
In Khrapchinsky’s opinion, the arrival of the first F-16s should significantly reduce the number of missile flights, as Russian aircraft are likely to hold back.
However, the expert did not anticipate air battles, as the primary aim is to secure Ukrainian airspace from missile attacks. The possible use of F-16 air-to-air missiles against attacking Russian fighter planes alone should help to secure the airspace.
Khrapchinsky said that the F-16s at Ukrainian military airfields should be safe from Russian attacks.
"We should not forget that there are certain technologies for defence against threats from the air, in particular air defence systems, which will also be made available before the F-16s are delivered,” he added.
Ukraine is expecting the arrival of the first F-16s, which have been provided to the country by both the Netherlands and Denmark, in the near future, although the exact date of delivery remains a military secret. Belgium and Norway have also promised Ukraine additional fighter jets of the same type, while the German Armed Forces do not use F-16s and will not be able to deliver any to Kiev.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday visited an army command post near the embattled small town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region close to the Russian border.
"This section is probably one of the most difficult,” Zelensky stressed in a video published on Telegram. He awarded medals to soldiers on the occasion of Special Forces Day.
In May, Russian troops crossed the border near Vovchansk in the east of the country. Since then, heavy fighting has been raging around the town, which is around 4 kilometres from the border.
Zelensky also visited the small town of Derhachi, just a few kilometres north of Kharkiv, where he was shown 18 rebuilt houses and newly constructed shelters. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the small town has come under fire several times.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Donetsk region, the Russian military reported the capture of the village of Vovche. Ukrainian media had already reported the loss of the settlement and the neighbouring village of Prohres several days ago, citing a battalion commander of the 47th Brigade.