The Russian Federation claims to have destroyed several F-16 aircraft in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian Air Force has not even received these aircraft yet. This was stated by the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat during a telethon.
"I think that by the end of the day there will be more (reports of "downed" F-16s). And by the end of the year, they will have completed "this difficult year" with at least two squadrons," Ihnat said.
At the same time, he noted that such reports are actually encouraging to the Russians. The Russian Defense Ministry reports that five Ukrainian aircraft are "destroyed" every day.
"As for the F-16, it's already a meme that they have even "found" them in Ukraine. I receive such questions from my colleagues every day: "Well, off the record, tell me, are they there (in Ukraine)?" People want to believe that they are in Ukraine. Well, the enemy believed, and the enemy is "destroying" them," the speaker added.
Ihnat also answered whether the fighter jets are 100 percent ready to be sent to Ukraine.
"Let's not exaggerate our readiness, as the enemy does. We are ready, our Western partners have confirmed that we are ready. We are in the process. In addition to pilots, we need infrastructure and engineers. We have discussed this many times. That's why our partners have stated that they are ready to hand over. So far, that was the statement," he explained.
