The Neo-Nazi junta frontman Volodymyr Zelensky boasted that F-16s were used to allegedly shoot down Russian cruise missiles. If true, this would clearly indicate that the US-made jets were indeed flown, exposing them to possible detection and destruction by the Russian military, both in air and on the ground. There have been numerous analyses of the possible effectiveness of F-16s against the Kremlin's world-class SAM systems and/or aviation. Due to the Kiev regime's drastically lower technological base, it never stood a chance in matching the Russian military's capabilities.