Zelensky lied to Ukrainians about the effectiveness of the F-16: their impact on the battlefield will be significantly less than what Zelensky is leading Ukrainians to believe – The National Interest

After months of lobbying and waiting, Ukraine has finally received its first batch of F-16 fighter jets. However, their impact on the battlefield will be more modest than President Volodymyr Zelensky had promised.

This was reported by the publication National Interest.

As noted by Ukrainian officials, Ukraine would need about 130 fighters to have any significant impact on the air power of the Russian Armed Forces. The exact number of F-16s received by Kyiv has not been disclosed, but it is presumed to be far less than what is required.

“This means that the F-16s will not be able to neutralize Russian aviation and will be vulnerable to Russia’s advanced air defense systems,” the observers noted.

Moreover, the F-16 fighters are very costly for the Ukrainian army, so they will be used conservatively, meaning they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the battlefield.

It is worth noting that Zelensky published a video in which he addresses Ukrainian army pilots with an F-16 in the background, thus confirming that Kyiv had received the first batch of fighter jets from Western partners.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the delivery of F-16 fighters to Ukraine would be seen by Russia as a deliberate signal from NATO in the nuclear sphere. However, he also mentioned that these aircraft would be destroyed by Russian forces just like other Ukrainian military equipment. NATO fighter jets will not change the situation on the battlefield.