Ukraine Loses First F-16 as the Collapse of its Defenses Accelerates

Update on the conflict in Ukraine for September 1, 2024…

– Western media now admits Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk has accelerated the collapse of the actual line of contact as well as compounded existing, critical shortages of manpower, arms, and ammunition;

– Ukraine has lost the first of only 6 F-16 warplanes it received from the West along with one of only 6 Ukrainian pilots trained to operate the aircraft;

– The loss of the F-16 was entirely predictable, it takes years to integrate new warplanes into an armed force, attempting to accelerate the process will lead to loss of aircraft and pilots in addition to all the other dangers they face (Russian air defenses and air-to-air capabilities);

– Calls to loosen restrictions on the use of long-range Western weapons on Russian territory will mean diluting already scarce firepower over a wider area, raising the cost for Russia but accelerating the loss of Ukraine’s fighting capacity further;

References:

Washington Post – What Ukraine’s Kursk incursion means for the war with Russia (August 30, 2024):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/…

Financial Times – Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces backlash over Russia’s breach of eastern defences (August 30, 2024):
https://www.ft.com/content/e63ce931-d…

WSJ – U.S.-Made F-16 Crashed in Ukraine, Killing Pilot (August 29, 2024):
https://www.wsj.com/world/ukrainian-f…

BBC – Zelensky sacks Ukraine air force chief after F-16 crash (August 31, 2024):
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1m…

AP – EU’s top diplomat ramps up pressure on Ukraine’s backers to permit strikes on targets inside Russia (August 29, 2024):
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukr…