Zhdanov tells when F-16s will appear in Ukraine
12 July 2024 15:13
EXCLUSIVE
Ukraine continues to wait for the promised F-16 fighter jets, but the specific timing of their delivery remains uncertain. The most recent announcement by Ukraine’s partners was a joint statement by the President of the United States and the prime ministers of Denmark and the Netherlands, who said that Ukrainian pilots would be flying F-16s by the end of the summer.
“The governments of Denmark and the Netherlands are transferring American-made F-16s to Ukraine with the support of the United States. The transfer process is underway and this summer Ukraine will start flying operational F-16s. We cannot provide further details at this time due to operational security considerations,”
– the statement reads.
Military expert Oleh Zhdanov commented on the situation in an exclusive commentary to Komersant ukrainskyi
, stressing that it is the position of the US president that is decisive.
“They [F-16s] are not here yet, and it is not known when they will be. The specific date of their arrival in Ukraine is this summer, as officials in Washington said. Except for Joe Biden. I think that until Biden says so, they are unlikely to appear,”
– the expert believes.
Meanwhile, the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defence system is a cause for concern. The latest large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities has shown that Ukrainian air defence at least needs to be strengthened. The deputy head of the parliamentary defence committee’s statement about the loss of Patriot systems due to the lack of professionalism of the army leadership resonated.
“The first Patriot was destroyed because it was not moved at all, although this is described in any military textbook. After that, the second Patriot was destroyed because it was rarely moved and not camouflaged, and this was after the destruction of the first one; the local population knew where it was, and no measures were taken,”
– the MP wrote on Facebook.
Zhdanov also emphasises the poor performance of air defence.
“Very few air defence systems were operating over Kyiv on 8 July. There were a lot of arrivals, and the whole of Kyiv witnessed them. You see, we cannot interrupt the information from the air force commander, who swears that all means were used. Maybe he means that all available means were used at the time of the strike. But, in fact, the air defence was very weak,”
– the expert believes.
As he wrote
