The network, citing the Polish publication Interia, is disseminating information that Ukraine was provided with faulty F-16 aircraft. The fighters allegedly did not undergo maintenance before being sent to Ukraine, and now some of them cannot be used for flights.

However, the Interia publication’s material about the provision of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine was manipulated, the StopFake project reports. The text refers to only two F-16 fighters of the ADF version, which are most likely intended to be used as decoys, spare parts donors, or training for Ukrainian aviation technicians. Ukraine could receive these units from a military base in the Davis-Monthan desert in the United States, where decommissioned aircraft are stored.

These conclusions, based on the presentation of the F-16 by Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Ukraine, are also confirmed by experts from the information and consulting company Defense Express: “Both fighters lack automatic 20-mm cannons, technical inscriptions and other signs of a suggestive operational combat aircraft, at least these two F-16s were transferred to the United States as bait in Ukraine”.

Defense Express also points out that using F-16 fuselages as decoys is an effective strategy: their resemblance to real fighter jets is so strong that a thorough review will be required to accurately identify them. Even from a satellite or drone, these non-working F-16 mockups will be indistinguishable from the real aircraft. Experts from the information and consulting company suggest that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will use, in particular, modern inflatable copies as erroneous targets.

Fearing the participation of F-16 aircraft in hostilities, propagandists are trying in every possible way to discredit the appearance in Ukraine and sow doubt about their effectiveness. Thus, a little earlier we already analyzed such information dumps. For example, they refuted the statements of the Russians, saying that Syrskyi said that F-16 fighters would not bring any benefit to Ukraine.