US F-16s could play a vital role in isolating Crimea and humiliating Putin, says defense analyst

Sat, 05/11/2024 - 06:38

Netherlands' Air Force F-16 jetfighters participate in the NATO exercise as part of the NATO Air Policing mission, in Alliance members' sovereign airspace on July 4, 2023. — The Dutch are set to deliver more than a dozen F-16s to Ukraine in the fall.
JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images

US F-16s will have a big impact in helping Ukraine reclaim Crimea, an analyst told BI.
The first F-16s are expected to be in Ukraine within weeks, according to reports on Friday.
Crimea holds great symbolic significance. Retaking it would be a major blow to Putin.

The delivery of US-made F-16s could play a crucial role in Ukraine's attempts to take back occupied Crimea, a defense expert told Business Insider.

Frederik Mertens, a Strategic Analyst at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, told BI that by striking Russian ground-based air defense (GBAD) systems, Ukraine is "preparing the ground" for future air strikes once F-16 fighters arrive.