Ukraine’s ruler, Volodymyr Zelensky says that for the first time, his country used Western-supplied F-16s to shoot down rockets during Monday’s massive attack. Zelensky was quoted as saying: “The F-16 [had] a good result… As part of this enormous [Russian] missile attack [on Monday] we shot down some of the rockets with the help of F-16s.”

The Ukrainian Air Force deployed United States-made F-16 fighter jets for the first time to intercept Russian missiles on Monday, Zelensky has claimed. He added, however, that the number of warplanes provided by the West so far is insufficient. He did attempt to express “gratitude” for the gift of the F-16s but still wants more, according to a report by RT. 

The First U.S.-Made F-16s Have Arrived In Ukraine

On Monday, Russia unleashed what the rulers in Kiev described as “one of the largest combined strikes” since the start of the conflict in February 2022. The Russian Defense Ministry described the “massive high-precision attack” against the neighboring country as being carried out using long-range air- and sea-based weapons, as well as drones. It targeted energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s defense industrial complex in particular, as well as several airfields storing Western-supplied air munitions, officials said.

“All the designated targets have been hit,” the statement by Russia read.

A number of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) states, including the U.S., France, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, pledged to donate the aircraft to Kiev last year. The countries established an “F-16 coalition” to streamline deliveries and arrange pilot training.

Earlier this month, Zelensky confirmed on his Telegram channel the arrival of the first US-made F-16s but did not reveal the numbers. He touted the aircraft as being capable of delivering “exactly such combat results that will bring our victory closer – our just peace for Ukraine.”

Zelensky Shows Off Newly Arrived US F-16 Jets From Secret Location