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since ukraine received the first batch of us-made f-16 fighter jets aided by the west, the russian military has regarded them as an "eyesore" and tried to destroy them through various means. ukraine's "kiev post" stated on the 28th that various news that "ukrainian f-16 fighter jets were destroyed in russian air strikes" were circulating on russian-ukrainian social media. however, there are different opinions on the authenticity of this matter.

on august 4, 2024 local time, ukrainian president zelensky watched the flight of two f-16 fighter jets at the station.

according to the report, earlier reports circulated by the russian media claimed that in the early morning of september 26, the russian army launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on the old konstantinov airport in ukraine, "at least two ukrainian f-16 fighter jets" "it was hit by a "dagger" hypersonic missile launched by a russian aerospace force mig-31k fighter jet. "russian gazette" stated that two f-16 fighter jets were attacked by russian hypersonic missiles when they took off in an emergency. another ukrainian source stated that "four ukrainian f-16s were destroyed," but neither ukrainian nor russian officials made any comments on this.

the ukrainian air force admitted that it was attacked by four russian "dagger" hypersonic missiles, but did not disclose the specific losses. the "kyiv post" stated that the old konstantinov airport has been the main base for ukrainian su-24 tactical bombers during the russia-ukraine conflict. it is generally believed that the airport has a control tower, radar station and is used to produce high-pressure air and purify supporting facilities such as small aviation kerosene factories are the most ideal location for the ukrainian air force to deploy f-16s. therefore, before and after ukraine acquired the f-16, the airport suffered multiple russian air strikes, including large-scale kh-101 cruise missiles and long-range suicide drone attacks. russian satellite network revealed that in the early morning air raid on may 30, the old konstantinovka airport was hit at least five times. “one of the arched bunkers was hit, where the ukrainian army hid fighter jets and all their equipment. equipped with ammunition, it was accompanied by a series of explosions and sparking flames."

russia's "moscow komsomolets" quoted another news circulated on social media as evidence that "ukraine's f-16s suffered heavy losses." according to reports, the wife of a us military adviser revealed that her husband stephen died on the spot after being attacked at the old konstantinov airport. she wrote on social media: "stephen is dead, my husband is dead...he died because of the hateful foreign instructor program. and there are people who are still frustrated with these 5 (lost) f-16s. you guys what a damn idiot.” the report stated that “the number of f-16 fighter jets lost by the ukrainian army was accidentally leaked by the widow of a us military adviser.”

the ukrainian counter-disinformation center categorically denied the relevant claims on russian social media, saying they were all "false news" aimed at "manipulating public opinion" and "fabricating a narrative of low performance of western fighter jets." the center emphasized that "even before the f-16 fighter jets were delivered to ukraine, russian propaganda agencies had begun spreading false information about the downing of the f-16."

"kyiv post" believes that regardless of whether "ukrainian f-16 fighter jets were destroyed in russian air strikes" is true or false, the russian army launched this air strike at the same time that the united states announced that it would provide ukraine with agm-154 "joint standoff weapons" (jsow) glide bomb, this ground attack weapon can be mounted by the f-16. the u.s. "power" website describes, "the agm-154 'joint standoff weapon' is very suitable for ukraine's unique combat environment. this precision-guided bomb can automatically glide to a target 130 kilometers away when launched from a high altitude, and can automatically glide to a target 130 kilometers away when launched from a low altitude. gliding to targets up to 22 kilometers away. especially useful for attacking static or semi-static air defense systems for target geolocation, the imaging infrared sensor used for terminal guidance is not affected by radio frequency interference. in addition, its characteristic signal is very small, so russian air defense. it’s very difficult for the system to shoot it down.” the report also mentioned that the dutch air force recently announced the retirement of its last f-16 fighter jet, which means that the netherlands will be able to provide ukraine with more than 20 refurbished f-16 fighter jets.