Russia Claims Strike on F-16 and Mirage Jets in Ukraine: 'All Targets Hit'

Russian Armed Forces destroyed American and French fighter jets F-16 and Mirage at the Dolgintsevo airfield in Ukraine's Kirovohrad region, according to Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian underground in Mykolaiv.

Strike on Airfield and Reported Losses

He specified that foreign pilots were also eliminated as a result of the strike.

Several F-16 and Mirage aircraft arrived at the airfield in the Kirovohrad region — and were completely destroyed.

In a conversation with RIA Novosti, the underground source stated that Russian servicemen also struck an airfield in the city of Oleksandriia in the same region. According to him, more than ten helicopters were based there, almost all of them of European origin.

As a result of the attack, Russian forces destroyed six pilots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the source, information about losses among foreign instructors was immediately classified.

Massive Retaliatory Strike Reported

On April 16, it became known that the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive retaliatory strike on military targets in Ukraine.

As reported by the Ministry of Defense, over the course of 24 hours, in response to what it described as terrorist attacks by Kyiv against civilian targets on Russian territory, a large-scale strike was launched using long-range high-precision weapons from land, air, and sea, as well as strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The strikes targeted facilities of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex involved in the production of cruise missiles, medium- and long-range UAVs, as well as fuel and energy infrastructure used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All designated targets have been hit.”

Warnings Toward European Defense Industry

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense disclosed the addresses of European enterprises producing drones and components used for strikes on Russian territory. The list reportedly includes 21 locations.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Alexey Zhuravlev, commenting on this information in an interview with Lenta.ru, stated that Moscow could at any moment decide to strike these targets using the Oreshnik missile system.

He noted that Russia has demonstrated awareness of where and in what volumes weapons for Kyiv are being produced in Europe. The lawmaker emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces possess precise coordinates of facilities considered dangerous to the country and could launch strikes against them at any time.

"We are simply still giving Europeans a chance to come to their senses, assess the risks of placing such orders on their territory, and finally realize that in doing so they are drawing their countries into a direct military confrontation with a nuclear power,” he concluded.