Russian news source: Pentagon denies operating F-35s in Ukraine

UNITED STATES: The Pentagon has refuted Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen’s assertion that F-35s were flown over Ukraine to monitor Russian troops.

Last Wednesday (28 February), during the budget debate for Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in Parliament, Dr Ng unveiled the city-state’s plant to bolster its airpower with the acquisition of eight F-35A fighter jets.

The new aircraft will complement the previously announced purchase of 12 F-35Bs, marking a substantial investment in fifth-generation stealth technology proven effective on the battlefield.

Highlighting the strategic importance of this acquisition, Dr Ng explained that the F-35A variant offers greater endurance and the capability to carry higher payload capacities, perfectly complementing the F-35B’s unique short take-off and vertical landing capabilities.

“For example, the US and UK’s F-35s conducted successful strikes against ISIS in the Middle East. ”

“More recently, the US used their F-35s to locate and identify surface-to-air missile sites of Russian units in Ukraine, and this information was shared with NATO countries, ” Dr Ng added.

However, Dr Ng did not specify whether these fighters entered Ukrainian airspace or operated over NATO territory.

According to Sputnik, a Moscow-based online news source, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defence declined to comment on the Singapore minister’s remarks on Monday but strongly emphasized that the US does not operate F-35s in Ukraine.

“It’s not my place to speak for Singapore’s MOD [Minister of Defense] or try to clarify his comments,” the spokesperson said.

“I can confirm that the US does not fly F-35s in Ukraine, ” said the spokesperson, as reported by Sputnik.

In a report from AirForceTimes dated March 2023, Colonel Craig Andrle, the commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, revealed that the US utilized F-35s for reconnaissance on “threats” in Ukraine and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

F-35s “were able to locate and identify surface-to-air missile sites and pass that information to the rest of the coalition,” the article said.

While Andrle emphasized the F-35’s potential as a formidable war asset, capable of intelligence gathering without firing a single shot, he acknowledged challenges in surveilling Russian positions.

The colonel recalled an instance where the F-35 failed to identify a Russian S-300 missile system, suggesting it may have been “operating in a war reserve mode that we haven’t seen before.”

Alleged US involvement in the Russian-Ukraine War

While it is true that the F35 did not fly “in Ukraine” – and it doesn’t necessarily have to –  Dr Ng has inadvertently revealed crucial information, confirming the utilization of F35s in scanning Russian missile sites. This disclosure poses a potential risk to Ukraine’s operations against Russia.

In April 2023, a Washington Post report highlighted leaked documents revealing the extensive involvement of the United States in nearly every aspect of the war, except for the presence of U.S. troops on the ground.

The leaked documents provide detailed confirmation that the United States is utilizing its extensive array of espionage and surveillance tools, including cutting-edge satellites and signals intelligence, to stay ahead of Moscow’s war plans and assist Kyiv in causing Russian casualties.

Biden officials dismissed the proxy label, emphasizing that Ukraine is engaged in a defensive war it did not initiate, fighting for its survival.

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, NATO has bolstered its air presence in Eastern Europe by deploying additional fighters and surveillance aircraft.

The U.S.-led military bloc conducts regular patrols using Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft equipped with long-range radars.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, stated last year that NATO countries were behaving as if they were Russia’s “enemies,” highlighting continuous reconnaissance operations against Moscow.

Simultaneously, the West is making plans to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, anticipated to arrive later this year.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has cautioned that these aircraft could become “legitimate targets” for the Russian military, heightening the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO.