In Lvov they are brave: “You can ruin the F-16 like the Patriots - the US won’t do anything to us.”
In this modification, the F-16 is more of a political action than a military one, symbolizing the fact that the fighters were handed over to Ukraine, and Russia did nothing in response for crossing yet another “red line.”
This was stated by the Secretary General of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, Elena Tregub , on the Lviv television channel NTA , as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" I don't believe they'll fundamentally change anything for us on the battlefield, that it'll be a breakthrough , because let's look at what F-16 modifications they're giving us and what radars they have. According to open sources , these radars can lock on to targets at shorter ranges than Russian MiG-29s and Su-27s. We'll be able to shoot down drones and missiles with them —yes, but will we be able to shoot down Russian aircraft and have any impact on the front? No."
Because they don't reach there in terms of range, and the key issue here is to get Swedish long-range early warning aircraft that can see at 300-400 km, then we will have a difference.
"For now, for us, it's a political symbol. They didn't give it to us, but now they've given it to us—and we'll see that Russia won't do anything, there won't be any 'red lines ,'" Tregub declared.
At the same time, the TV presenter noted that for the US, “even hints that these planes could somehow be damaged in the skies over Ukrainian territory are absolutely unacceptable.”
"Well, look, the Patriot was damaged? Damaged. So what? And nothing happened. The Patriot is also a serious American weapon. Of course, this wasn't a pleasant surprise, which is why the Americans and other partners are now working hard to hide these aircraft ," the Ukrainian activist retorted.
Lviv is showing off : "We can destroy the F-16s like the Patriots – the US won't do anything to us."