Ukraine’s air force may keep F-16 warplanes abroad to protect them from Russian strikes

By HANNA ARHIROVA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior Ukrainian military officer says that the country’s air force may keep some of the F-16 fighter jets it’s set to receive from its Western allies at foreign bases to protect them from Russian strikes. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have committee to provide Ukraine with over 60 U.S.-made F-16s. Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing training to fly them ahead of the deliveries expected to start later this year. Serhii Holubtsov, head of aviation within Ukraine’s air force, told the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that “a certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here.”