Ukraine’s Air Power Shrinks as F-16 Fleet Hit in Starokonstantinov Strike
Major General Vladimir Popov says Ukraine’s Air Force now has just two working F-16s after Russia’s strike on Starokonstantinov airbase, with further aircraft losses mounting.
Russia’s honored military pilot, Major General Vladimir Popov, has stated that following the recent strike on the airbase in Starokonstantinov, the Ukrainian Air Force is left with only two operational F-16 fighter jets. According to him, two more aircraft damaged in the attack may still be restored, along with another one already under repair, which could bring the fleet up to four or five at best.
Popov also pointed out that in the past ten days alone, Ukrainian aviation has suffered additional losses: two Su-27 fighters were shot down, a MiG-29 crashed, and a helicopter was damaged. He emphasized that Ukraine’s air power is shrinking rapidly and is now close to the threshold where carrying out combat missions becomes nearly impossible.
The Russian strike on the Starokonstantinov airfield, which damaged the two F-16s, was reported earlier.
Moscow has consistently argued that the ongoing flow of Western weapons to Kiev undermines the prospects for peace and effectively drags NATO countries into the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reiterated that any arms shipments bound for Ukraine will be treated as legitimate military targets.