Deliveries of American-made F-16s could play a key role in Ukraine's liberation of the occupied Crimean peninsula.
This was stated in a commentary to the publication Business Insider by defense expert, analyst at the Hague Center for Strategic Studies Frederick Mertens.
According to the expert, by attacking Russian ground-based air defense systems, Ukraine is “preparing the ground” for future airstrikes after the arrival of F-16 fighters.
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In particular, the analyst warned against high expectations for one type of weapon.
— We must be careful not to overestimate the impact of the limited number of F-16 fighters, — said Mertens.
He noted that the Russian Federation has a rather limited space for maneuvers in Crimea, the replenishment of their reserves depends on the Kerch Bridge, and “Putin has something to lose here both politically and militarily& #8221;.
Business Insider writes that, despite a number of failures on the eastern front, Ukraine has repeatedly “embarrassed the forces of the Russian Federation” precisely in and around Crimea.
In addition, according to the analyst, the F-16, combined with US supplies of long-range ATACMS, can make Crimea “militarily insignificant” for Russia.
When F-16 fighters will arrive in Ukraine
Denmark recently announced the delivery of fighter aircraft to Ukraine this summer.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense announced readiness to begin deliveries of F-16 fighters to Ukraine in the fall of 2024, and Belgium intends to send F-16 fighter jets to our country during this year.
