F-16s for Ukraine will bolster Kharkiv defense, prompt changes in Russia's tactics - media

The Guardian reported the information.

The commander of the Dutch Air Force, General Arnoud Stallmann, believes that the first F-16 fighters will take to the skies over Ukraine this summer.

"Around this summertime, it is all lining up," the commander said.

Ukraine has been waiting for months to start using the fighter jets and hopes that their introduction will change the dynamics of the war, forcing Russia to suspend strikes in the border regions.

Aviation experts believe that Russia will be forced to change its tactics, and the Ukrainian military will be able to use F-16s against Russian aircraft that launch guided bombs from a distance of 50 to 70 kilometers.

"Russia has been using KABs extensively against the city of Kharkiv in recent weeks, launching the bombs from planes that remain inside Russian airspace. Numerous Ukrainian sources said F-16s would protect Ukraine’s second city from these weapons," the outlet writes.

• On June 14, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed optimism that Ukraine would receive US F-16 fighters and related capabilities this summer.