After Ukrainian attacks on the Russian fleet in occupied Crimea, Russia began to lose its advantage in the Black Sea. But after receiving the F-16, Ukraine will be able to strengthen its control over the Black Sea. Ukrainian Navy Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa said this in an interview with Reuters, UNN reports .
Details
According to Neizhpapa, Russia is shifting to defensive tactics at sea - warships are increasingly based in the Sea of Azov to avoid attacks from Ukraine.
In particular, monitoring data collected by the Ukrainian Navy and provided to Reuters showed that as of June 27, there were 10 Russian warships in the Sea of Azov. At the same time, no ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet were recorded in the Azov Sea during the same period last year.
The Ukrainian Navy Commander explained that the Black Sea Fleet is now mainly used for logistics, small-scale control of coastal areas, and for strikes against Ukraine with Kalibr cruise missiles.
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Neizhpapa said that Russian warships do not enter the northwestern part of the Black Sea, an area of almost 25,000 square kilometers (9,650 square miles).
According to him, the F-16 fighters in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces will allow them to challenge Russia's "complete dominance" in the skies over the Black Sea.
F-16s with the appropriate weapons will be able to reject Russian military aircraft. The northwestern part of the Black Sea, in particular the corridor for civilian ships, will be almost 100% protected
Neizhpapa emphasized that Ukraine would like to expand its shipping corridor to include the ports of Mykolaiv and Kherson. Currently, it only includes shipping from the three main ports of Odesa
According to him, civilian vessels are escorted by patrol boats in some areas to protect them from mines, and air defense provides cover for both ports and corridors.
Recall
Air Force spokesman Ilya Yevlash said that Ukraine is taking all necessary measures to ensure the effective operation and deployment of F-16 fighters on its territory.