The Netherlands gave the green light to Ukraine to use F-16 fighter jets in Russia as well, nos.nl reported, citing the Armed Forces commander forces of the kingdom of Onno Eichelsheim.
„We have not imposed any restrictions on the use and range of the F-16 - provided that the laws of war are respected,” the military said.
In particular, the Netherlands is one of the countries that committed to supply Western F-16 fighter jets to Kiev. Onno Eichelsheim praised Ukraine for the invasion of the Kursk region, which he said was “brilliant” from a military point of view. The officer pointed out that when there is a static front, armies have to resort to such unconventional solutions.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Kiev had lost its first Western F-16 during a combat mission. One of the few F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine received from its Western partners to help fight the Russian invasion has crashed, killing the pilot, the Ukrainian Air Force said today, AP reported. The fighter jet went down on Monday as Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, Kiev said in a statement. Four of those Russian missiles were shot down by F-16s, the Ukrainian military said. The American television CNN reports that, according to Ukraine, it is not a matter of pilot error. An investigation will be conducted with international experts.