"Today (Friday - ed.), Russia attempted to attack an airfield in Ukraine where those aircraft are likely to be stationed. I'm sure there won't be only one, and there will be an attempt to bring them closer to Russia over time. But the impression at the moment is that in the coming weeks, if the process is successful, they [the F-16 fighters] could soon be spotted in Ukraine," Saks said. 

According to Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces' (EDF) of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center, for security reasons, different routes are used to transport military equipment to Ukraine.

"A major factor is that Ukraine and the countries that are providing aircraft to Ukraine want to make sure that the aircraft still get to the right areas in the best possible condition. From an operational security, how they are delivered and where they end up is being planned very precisely. It is also possible for the military planes to take off and land from civilian roads, but this requires certain conditions – there can be no power lines nearby and the road [has to be] wide and straight enough," Col. Kiviselg said. 

Saks added that despite the arrival of the fighters, the key issue for Ukraine remains the shortage of air defense systems.

"Now we have four more [anti-aircraft systems], one of which is there and the rest are on the way. A total of five or six Patriot systems will not provide protection for a very large amount of territory in Ukraine. One would think that Ukraine could guarantee the protection of very important sites such as a couple of the big cities and the military airfields. The next question is, whether with these fighters Ukraine will be able to push away the Russian tactical aircraft. However, missile defenses will still have to be stepped up regardless of these F-16s," Saks said.

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