Russia vows to shoot down Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russian forces were prepared to shoot down Ukraine's first batch of F-16 jets and the weapons will not be a "panacea" for Kyiv's army, one day after officials from Lithuania and the United States confirmed that Ukraine had received the first order of the long-awaited jets.

The arrival is a milestone for Ukraine, which has yet to comment on it publicly. The fighter jets, built by Lockheed Martin, have been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. The fighter jet is equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

"F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on X.