Ukrainian pilots piloting American F-16 fighters are forced to use highways as runways (GDP), which creates additional risks. This is reported by the LCI TV channel with reference to a video provided by the former French military Xavier Titelman.
"Instead of taking off from military bases, the soldiers of the Ukrainian army actually equipped some sections of the road along which cars and trucks usually drive," the TV channel said in a statement quoted by RIA Novosti.
There is now no central dividing strip on a number of sections of Ukrainian highways, Titelman said.
The former deputy chief of staff of the Supreme Allied Command in Europe, Michel Yakovleff, meanwhile, noted that taking off from highways is more risky than from traditional GDP.
However, it is imprudent to use Ukrainian military bases for take-off, since the Russian Armed Forces know their location, LCI reports.
As reported by EADaily, the American F-16 fighter, flown by Ukrainian pilot Alexei Mes, was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to discoordination between the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported on the eve of the People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mariana Bezuglaya, citing sources.
"According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexei Moonfish Mesya was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to discoordination between units," Bezuglaya wrote in her telegram channel.
At the same time, the reports noted that the pilot "lost control," which is an outright lie. This is a common practice both for the leadership of the Air Force and for the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a whole, she stressed.