Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that new batches of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets had arrived in the country, as he rejected Russian claims that Putin’s military had downed one of the aircraft.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry by email for comment.
Why It Matters
Ukraine possesses only a limited number of F-16 fighter jets, and the latest delivery will bolster Zelensky’s efforts to defend against Moscow’s aggression in the full-scale invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.
What To Know
Russian pro-war Telegram channels claimed Wednesday that a Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system had downed an F-16 jet.
Zelensky said the reports by Russian war correspondents were false.
“But the good news is that several F-16 aircraft arrived in Ukraine,” Zelensky told reporters on Wednesday evening, without elaborating on how many of the jets had been delivered to the country.
Earlier, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat also denied Russian claims that the F-16 jet was shot down.
“F-16 pilots successfully carried out their operations against the Russians once again today. And this happens every day, the combat work continues,” he said.
Zelensky had long called on his Western allies to provide his military with the advanced fighter jets to assist in the war against Russia.
In July, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine’s allies in NATO had started transferring the U.S.-manufactured jets to Ukraine.
F-16s were spotted the following month in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to Pavlo Filipchuk, a Kremlin-installed official, who said they were flying above the Ukrainian settlement of Kakhovka “only to sow panic.”
Ukraine lost its first F-16 in the same month, and the pilot, lieutenant colonel Oleksii Mes, was killed in the crash. A source in the country’s air force told Voice of America’s (VOA) Ukrainian service that it may have been downed in a case of friendly fire.
Mes “heroically fought his last battle in the sky. On August 26, while repelling a massive Russian combined missile and drone attack, Oleksii destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack UAV. Oleksii saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles. Unfortunately, at the cost of his own life,” Ukraine’s Air Command Zakhid said at the time.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters during an online press briefing on Wednesday: “The Russians are spreading lies that they shot down something there, they didn’t shoot down anything. But the good news is that several additional F-16 aircraft arrived in Ukraine.”
What Happens Next
Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. are engaging in talks aimed at bringing an end to the conflict.
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