Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine turned the country's skies into a nightly battleground long before Western F-16s arrived. By mid-2024, however, a quiet shift was underway: a small fleet of modern Western fighters began to reshape how Ukraine defended its cities,

Since the evening of December 22, during a massive Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, the Defense Forces neutralized 635 out of 673 aerial attack assets, including almost all cruise missiles. — Ukrinform.

Using homemade long range drones and cruise missiles, Kyiv is hitting targets from the Mediterranean to the Caspian.

To operate F-16s, Ukraine would need long-term training and supplies, and those jets would still be facing off against Russia's capable air force.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write on defense, strategy, the profession of arms, and aerospace. As diplomats and other country representatives continue to explore pathways toward peace in the Russia Ukraine War ...

A US-backed European peacekeeping force would secure an eventual peace deal, with additional help for Ukraine to build an 800,000-strong peacetime force.