F-16s are on their way to Ukraine – here's how they can help fight Russia

Experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent said F-16s will be a boost to Ukraine but said it was correct not to view them as any sort of game-changer. "First, they won't be the latest and most modern variants, and they are going into a high-threat environment, both from Russia's own aircraft and from longer-range ground-based air defenses," Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said. "They are useful and give the Ukrainians some more options, but we should be cautious about them 'turning the tide' and how soon they will be operationally effective."