Ukrainian President personally watches the first operation of F-16 fighter jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 4 that the country's pilots began flying F-16 fighter jets to carry out missions across Ukrainian skies.

This is the first time since the war with the Russian Federation broke out in February 2022 that the head of state of Ukraine confirmed the appearance of the US-made F-16 fighter jets that Kiev has long been waiting for.

The confirmation came as the Ukrainian leader met pilots at an air base with two F-16s providing escort and two others flying overhead.

The arrival of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is a milestone in the fight against Russian forces, though it remains unclear what immediate impact they will have in boosting Ukraine's air defenses and battlefield strength.

It is also unclear what missiles the F-16s that Ukraine will receive will be equipped with, but according to military analysts, if they are longer-range missiles, they will have a greater impact on the battlefield.

Before receiving its first batch of F-16 fighters, Ukraine relied on an aging fleet of Soviet-era fighters that were routinely outnumbered by the Russian Federation's more advanced and much larger fleet of fighters.

The Russian Federation has taken advantage of that to launch regular long-range missile strikes on targets across Ukraine and has also pounded Ukrainian frontline positions with thousands of guided bombs, supporting slow-moving forces in the East.

The F-16 is an iconic fighter jet produced by the United States, deployed on the front lines by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and chosen by many air forces around the world over the past 50 years.

In August 2023, US President Joe Biden gave the green light to deploy used F-16 aircraft in Ukraine.

While the US will not provide any F-16s from its arsenal, its allies and partners, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, have pledged to provide Ukraine with more than 60 aircraft in the coming months.