Multiple European countries are considering deploying their national air force fighters and jets to western Ukraine to bolster the country’s air defense as peace negotiations drag on between Kyiv and Moscow.
The plan calls for Europe to advance its SkyShield initiative by providing over 100 fighter jets to patrol Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and export corridors against Russian missiles and drones, according to Al Jazeera.
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SkyShield is an air defence strategy that was proposed in February by former Ukrainian MP Lesya Orobets, the founder of the NGO “Price of Freedom”, in coordination with British and Ukrainian aviation experts.
The plan is currently under consideration by the UK and France, in consultation with other European countries, and would likely only come into effect after a ceasefire.
“By mobilizing just 120 European aircraft, SkyShield can achieve greater military, political, and socioeconomic impact than 10,000 European ground troops,” advocates of the force argued in a report by the Center for European Policy Analysis published in March.
The planes would be based in neighboring Poland and Romania and would mostly fly west of the Dnipro, at least 200 kilometers (124 miles) away from the current frontline.
Supporters of the plan argue that the risk of engagement with Russia is low, given that Russian planes have been reticent for months to come into Ukrainian airspace for fear of Ukraine’s air defenses.
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But the plan’s opponents argue that Ukraine’s air defense is better suited to intercepting Russian missiles and drones than the air forces of partner countries, and that the use of fighter jets is an expensive and inefficient way to protect the skies in today’s modern war environment dominated by cheap drones.
Another big concern is what would happen if Western fighters were injured or killed while protecting Ukraine under the flag of a NATO country.
“If one European plane falls and a pilot is killed, it will be very difficult for a European government to explain it,” Colonel Konstantinos Zikidis of the Hellenic Air Force told Al Jazeera.
Bringing down F-16 fighter jets has become a prized target for Russia. Ukraine recently lost its third fighter jet on May 16 after being struck by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). The pilot safely ejected after destroying three targets during a combat mission.
Another potential effect of the Skyshield proposal would be to free up Ukraine’s Air Force from its current defensive mission and allow the AFU to focus more resources on offensive actions against Russia.
Russian missile and drone attacks have grown steadily larger as the full-scale invasion has progressed. Russia set a new record on Saturday, launching 273 Shahed drones against Ukraine.
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