Kyiv, 28 March

Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense”, but warned that any Western air base hosting US-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for the Kremlin's forces.

“Their statements about our alleged intention to attack Europe after Ukraine is sheer nonsense,” Putin said late Wednesday, referring to warnings in the US and Western Europe that Russia could turn its sights on other countries unless it's stopped.

He noted that the US defence budget is more than 10 times higher than Russia's. “In view of that, are we going to wage a war against NATO? It's ravings,” he told military pilots during a visit to an air base.

Ukraine is awaiting the delivery of F-16s, which will increase military pressure on Russia, from its Western partners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last year that 42 F-16s had been promised. Ukrainian pilots have been training in the West for months on how to fly the warplanes.

The F-16s require a high standard of runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from bombing attacks when they are on the ground. It's not clear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia would be certain to quickly target a few that could accommodate them once the jets arrive.

Putin warned Ukraine's Western allies against providing air bases in their countries from where the F-16s could launch sorties against the Kremlin's forces. Those bases would become a “legitimate target," he said. “F-16s are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and we will also need to take that into account while organising our combat operations,” Putin added.

Military analysts have said the arrival of F-16s won't be a game-changer in view of Russia's massive air force and sophisticated air defence systems, though Ukrainian officials have welcomed them as an opportunity to hit back at Russia's air dominance.

Putin insisted the F-16s “won't change the situation on the battlefield”. “We will destroy their warplanes just as we destroy their tanks, armoured vehicles and other equipment, including multiple rocket launchers,” he said.

F-16s can be used to bolster Ukraine's capability to target Russian facilities with long-range missile strikes. Ukraine's counteroffensive last year came up short in part because it took place without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Russia has maintained air dominance in the war with Ukraine, though the provision of sophisticated Western air defence systems has forced Russian warplanes to avoid Ukrainian skies and launch attacks while remaining over Russia-controlled territory.

On Thursday, a Russian fighter jet crashed into the Black Sea off the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev said. The pilot ejected and was recovered by rescue teams about 200 metres from shore, he said. Razvozhayev provided no details about the possible cause of the crash.

The Kremlin currently has a battlefield edge in weapons and troops, yielding recent incremental gains at points on the around 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, as Kyiv awaits more promised Western military support and mulls a broader mobilisation.

Russia fired salvos of drones and missiles overnight at southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, authorities said on Thursday, wounding more than a dozen people as the Kremlin's forces persevered with attritional attacks designed to wear down Ukrainian defences.