Russia’s prepared to strike NATO F-16s

The Kremlin is prepared to strike NATO airfields that host any Ukraine F-16 fighter jet intended for use against Russia, a member of the Russian parliament said on Monday.

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between NATO and the Kremlin have continued as NATO leaders have increasingly warned of direct conflict with Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its Western partners since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Ukraine is set to receive F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies starting this summer. Denmark and the Netherlands are leading the efforts, with the Danes expected to deliver the first F-16s by the summer and the Dutch in the fall. The F-16s, which are known for their advanced technology, are expected to significantly enhance Ukraine’s aerial capabilities and counter Russian attacks.

On Monday, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the defense committee in the Russian parliament’s lower house, told the state RIA Novosti news agency that if the Ukrainian F-16s are used to launch attacks on Russia, the NATO bases hosting the fighter jets would be “legitimate targets” for the Kremlin.

“But if they take off from the airfields of some country, enter Ukrainian airspace, launch missiles and return there, then this is a legitimate goal,” Kartapolov said. “As for shooting down, we can shoot down anyone, anywhere.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries and NATO via email for comment.

Kartapolov’s comments came after a senior Ukrainian military officer said on Monday that Ukraine may keep some of the F-16 fighter jets it’s set to receive in an effort to avoid Russian strikes on the advanced aircraft.

“A certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here,” Serhii Holubtsov, head of aviation for Ukraine’s air force, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “This way, we can always have a certain number of aircraft in the operational fleet that corresponds to the number of pilots we have. If there are more pilots, there will be more aircraft in Ukraine.”

However, integrating F-16s into Ukraine’s air force comes with several challenges as the warplanes require well-maintained runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from attacks on the ground.

Although it’s not clear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, Frank Ledwidge, senior lecturer in law and war studies at Portsmouth University in the U.K. and a former British military intelligence officer, previously told Newsweek that when the jets arrive, they will be an “absolute magnet for Russian air defenses and Russian aircraft.”

Kartapolov’s comments reiterated Putin’s warning in late March when he said Western airbases hosting F-16s that are carrying out operations against Russia would be a “legitimate target.”