MELITOPOL, August 5. /TASS/. Kiev will look to use retrained Ukrainian pilots to fly its recently received F-16 fighter jets initially, but if they are deemed unfit for the job, they will be replaced by military specialists from other countries, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the "We Are Together with Russia" movement, said.
On August 4, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Kiev had received the first batch of F-16 fighter jets from Western allies and Ukrainian pilots had already started using them.
"Ukrainian pilots have been training long before the announced dates of transfer of F-16 jets, the majority [of pilots] was retrained on these fighters from the second half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. <...>. I think they will try to use Ukrainian pilots initially. If they see that the level of training leaves much to be desired, then they will use Poles, Baltic troops and so on," Rogov said.
He suggested that the delivery of the first batch of fighter jets will give a boost to the morale of the Ukrainian armed forces and Ukrainian citizens, but this will be short-lived. "It will quickly fizzle out, it is enough to remember the Western samples of equipment: Leopard, Abrams tanks and other weapons - all this was a super-weapon, about which they do not remember now," he said.
Earlier, the Economist reported that Kiev received ten F-16 fighter jets. Their number will increase to 20 by the end of the year, and 79 planes are to change hands during 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that supplies of new weapons, including F-16 jets, to Ukraine will not change the situation on the front and will only lead to a longer conflict. He also pointed out that these fighter jets, if the Ukrainian armed forces have them, will burn just like other military equipment touted by the West.