Rumors spread that Ukraine allowed F-16s to take off and land on highways to avoid being detected by Russia.

Ukrainian officials stand next to an F-16 at an undisclosed location.

LCI TV recently posted footage provided by French military analyst Xavier Titelman claiming that Ukrainian pilots flying F-16 fighter jets took off and landed on highways that had been upgraded to runways.

"Instead of taking off from military bases, Ukrainian soldiers actually used some roads that were only intended for cars and trucks," RIA Novosti quoted the content on LCI TV.

Mr Titelman said many sections of Ukrainian highways now have runways with eels removed. Taking off and landing on highways is believed to be done to avoid Russian detection. LCI TV said it would be imprudent to use Ukrainian military bases for takeoffs, as the Russian Armed Forces know their locations.

What worries Ukraine about its allies?

Meanwhile, former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Supreme Allied Command Europe Michel Yakovleff said NATO had previously used similar measures in other countries. However, he noted that taking off on a highway is riskier than on a traditional runway.

The news comes after Ukraine lost an F-16 fighter jet on August 26. According to Reuters, the Ukrainian military has not yet given a reason for the incident, but said the plane crashed while approaching a Russian target and the pilot was killed.

A US defense official said the F-16 crash did not appear to be caused by Russian fire, and that speculation about the cause ranged from pilot error to technical failure and was still under investigation.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shared a preliminary report on the incident with its US counterparts and was assisting in the investigation.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ro-tin-ukraine-cho-f-16-cat-va-ha-canh-tren-xa-lo-de-tranh-bi-nga-phat-hien-185240831110000385.htm