Secure F-16s. ISW names goal of active destruction of russian air defense

The Ukrainian military is striking enemy air defense systems in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in the border areas of russia, preparing for the arrival of F-16 fighter jets.

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts of the Institute quote the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who reported that the Defense Forces destroyed 20 S-300 launchers and 15 radar stations over an unspecified period of time.

The report also states that on July 8, Syrskyi published geolocation footage showing Ukrainian troops using cluster munitions to attack russian air defense systems located east of the occupied village of Manhush in the Donetsk Region (west of Mariupol).

In addition, the founder of the KRAKEN unit of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kostiantyn Nemichev, said on July 12 that Ukrainian forces destroyed four russian S-300 systems that russian forces used to attack Kharkiv over an unspecified period of time.

ISW also reported that the Council of members of the Krasinskii village of the Volgograd Oblast of the russian federation reported the elimination of the commander of the russian S-300 battery as a result of a Ukrainian air defense missile strike on a position in the Kharkiv axis on July 12.

"The commander of the russian S-300 was most likely killed during the Ukrainian attack on the occupied Mariupol, since the time of the commander's death is 15 minutes after the attack on the russian S-300 air defense system near Mariupol on July 12. At the same time, the ISW did not detect signs of a Ukrainian attack on russian air defense equipment in the Belgorod Oblast on July 12 and cannot confirm the exact location of this attack," the report says.

The Council of Members of the Krasinskii village also reported that the commander of the S-300 battery killed on July 12 stated in a recent letter that in the past two weeks, strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against russian air defense systems killed two russian air defense battery commanders. In ISW, it is assumed that we are talking about the period in June - the beginning of July 2024.

The Institute for the Study of War recalled Syrskyi's words that Ukrainian forces are systematically destroying russia's air defense equipment in order to create conditions for the successful use of strike aircraft by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the context of the expected arrival of F-16 fighters in the near future.

ISW noted that deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine will begin in small numbers, and limitations in material support and training are likely to prevent Ukrainian forces from widely using the aircraft in 2024.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Netherlands and Denmark had begun transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighter jets to effectively counter russia.