As F-16s arrive in Ukraine, Russia starts targeting bases of advanced fighter jet

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (Aug 4) confirmed thelong-awaited arrival of the US-madeF-16s more than29 months after Russia's invasion. President Zelensky announcedthe use of F-16s, which Kyiv has long lobbied for, as he met military pilots at an air base flanked by two of the jets with two more flying overhead.

However,Russia has already begun targeting potential F-16 bases and has vowed to shoot down the jets, raising the stakes in the ongoing conflict.

"F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them for our country," Zelensky told reporters at an undisclosed location, a report by the news agency Reuters said.

A milestone for Ukraine

The arrival of the F16s is a milestone for Ukraineafter many months of waiting. Reuters reported that it was not yet known how many fighter jets arrived in Ukraine and how much of an impact they would have in combating Russian attacks.

Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-16s had been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. They are equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

During Sunday's press conference, Zelensky saidUkraine still did not have enough pilots trained to use the F-16s or enough of the jets themselves. "The positive thing is that we are expecting additional F-16s ... many guys are now training."

The Ukrainian president pointed out that Kyiv's allies needed to find ways to expand training programmes and opportunities for both Ukrainian pilots and engineering teams.

'A new stage of development for air force'

Zelensky also said that the arrival of F16s wasa new stage of development for the Ukrainian Air Force."We did a lot for Ukrainian forces to transition to a new aviation standard, the Western combat aviation," he said, citinghundreds of meetings and unrelenting diplomacy to obtain the F-16s.

"We often heard 'it is impossible' as an answer but we still made our ambition, our defensive need, possible," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)