Ukraine needs 48 F-16 fighters to turn the tide of war with Russia. The precise number is expressly quoted by Kiev: “Four squadrons of F-16 fighters (48 aircraft in total ed.) are exactly what we need to free our country from the aggressor,” writes the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Twitter, accompanying with an image showing the Kremlin tower being grated by a grater whose blades are drawn in the shape of an airplane.
The Ukrainian government hopes to soon secure US-made fighters, which would be a significant upgrade to Kiev’s air force and instrumental in defeating Russia. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been repeating for some time that the delivery of the F-16s could also send a strong signal, making it clear that the Russian invasion is failing.
The supply of F-16 fighters mainly involves the United States. The fighters, perhaps supplied by countries that bought the aircraft from Washington, would not be “the miracle weapon”, according to the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, speaking at a meeting of the international group that coordinates military aid to Ukraine. “Sometimes things get labeled, you say ‘it’s going to be the magic weapon,'” he says, adding that, however, “there are no magic weapons, not F-16s or other weapons.”
“We will do everything possible, even the impossible, to accelerate the supply of more high-quality air defense systems to Ukraine,” says Zelensky, after denouncing today’s Russian missile attack on Dnipro as a “pure atrocity” in which a hospital and a veterinary clinic were hit. They are “sick creatures” he adds, referring to the Russian military.
“Two people were killed in this attack. My condolences to relatives and friends. Still not all the rubble has been removed. More than 30 people have been injured, including two children,” Zelensky said, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda .
The day ends with the news arriving from Mariupol. Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian-controlled city with two long-range missiles, according to Donetsk People’s Republic authorities cited by TASS. There is no independent confirmation of the cause of the explosions. On Telegram, the profile of the ousted city council reports that the area of the Azovstal steel plant was hit.
