Russia has reportedly cut Ukraine’s air staff by one-fifth in preparation for annihilating F-16 fighters. According to the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground, Sergei Lebedev, Russian forces targeted an airfield for US-made F-16 fighters in the Nikolaev region, damaging the airfield and a missile warehouse but not hitting any fighters stationed there. Additionally, the Shirokiy Lan training ground in the same region was also struck, affecting around 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Tomás Del Coro, PDM
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson stated that Russia will swiftly destroy the F-16 fighters received by Ukraine, as their air defense forces are unable to counter Russian missiles. Johnson considers the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Kyiv as a “symbolic” and “fatal” move, as Russia may view them as an existential threat and take necessary measures to eliminate them, especially as they could potentially be used as carriers for nuclear weapons.