MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has confirmed that Kiev has received a batch of F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies.

"F-16’s are in Ukraine. We did it <…>. [Ukrainian pilots] have already begun to use them in our country’s interests," he wrote on his Telegram channel and posted a video of his speaking to Ukrainian pilots with an F-16 jet seen behind him.

He did not specify however how many planes have reached Ukraine and where they are based.

The Economist magazine said earlier on Sunday that Ukraine had received ten F-16 fighter jets from Western countries and will receive ten more by the end of the current years. According to the magazine, Kiev may count on receiving 79 F-16 jets, with the West continuing to transfer them to Ukraine throughout 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the deliveries of new weapons and equipment, including F-16s, to Ukraine would not reverse the situation on the frontlines, but will result in the protraction of the conflict.