Are the F-16s already in Ukraine? The jets promised by the Western coalition to Kiev could already be available to the Ukrainian armed forces. This is the hypothesis that Newsweek magazine reissues based on information obtained following recent developments in the war with Russia that began in February 2022. The rumors come after a series of news that has not gone unnoticed: in recent weeks Kiev has announced that it has shot down a number of Russian fighter jets – at least eight since December 5th – and just over 24 hours ago that ship Novocherkassk moored in the waters of Fedosia in Crimea.
In the absence of official announcements and confirmations, Newsweek is “connecting the dots.” Western allies have been promising deliveries of F-16s, the US-made jets, for months. However, specific delivery dates for the devices were never given. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has always emphasized the importance of countering Russia in the air to ensure stronger defenses and launch more effective attacks.
In recent days, the F-16s have also been protagonists in messages spread by pro-Russian profiles and channels on Telegram related to the use of the jets. No official confirmation from Kyiv. Newsweek, meanwhile, has contacted an American source. Answer: Ukraine may have received the first promised jets. On December 22, Zelensky generally referred to “preparations” for the delivery of F-16s by the Netherlands, which had promised a package of 18 aircraft. Several countries other than the United States, including Britain and Romania, have welcomed Ukrainian pilots for training: the F-16s are different from the jets that the Kiev Air Force has, and the aircraft will most likely also have to be adapted to the needs adapted to the pilots.
For Kiev, the fighters could clearly represent a turning point in a particularly complex phase of the war. The counteroffensive did not bring the results Zelensky had hoped for, Russia is able to send thousands of men to the front and is pushing mainly along the Eastern Front, where it recently claimed the capture of the now defunct city of Marinka, reducing it to a pile of rubble.