Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine turned the country's skies into a nightly battleground long before Western F-16s arrived. By mid-2024, however, a quiet shift was underway: a small fleet of modern Western fighters began to reshape how Ukraine defended its cities,

On Dec. 6, Russia launched a sweeping attack on Ukraine, comprising 653 drones and 51 missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting 585 drones and 30 missiles; still, impacts targeting primarily energy infrastructure were recorded in 29 locations.