A well-known Russian military blogger has published drone footage that he claims captures a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet operating near the border with Russia.
Ilya Tumanov, who runs the pro-Kremlin “Fighterbomber” channel, posted the video on social media, writing: “The first footage of the F-16 at work, filmed by our operators of the soulless”.
While the authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified, multiple Ukrainian sources have confirmed that F-16s are now active along the front and are being used in targeted air-to-ground operations against Russian command centers and logistics nodes.
The first batch of fighters arrived in Ukraine in August 2024. Ukrainian pilots were trained on the platform in Romania prior to operational deployment.
⚡ An F-16 spotted above the #Sumy region by a #Russian Orlan #reconnaissance drone. pic.twitter.com/khryUEgBKa
— Sk` (@ShahyabShah) June 1, 2025
The release of the video by Russian sources underscores the growing concern in Moscow over Ukraine’s upgraded aerial capabilities.