ODESSA, Aug. 29 -- The air defense layer protecting Ukraine's Black Sea coast has quietly shifted. F-16 fighter jets supplied by NATO members are now being rotated into air defense duties over the Odessa region, according to a pro-Russian source cited by RIA Novosti, as Kyiv's Patriot missile interceptors run short of the margin that commanders need to feel confident about the city's coverage.

The claim comes from Sergei Lebedev, described by RIA Novosti as a coordinator of a pro-Russian underground network operating in the Mykolaiv region. Lebedev said that F-16 sorties over Odessa have increased in recent weeks, with pilots being tasked with intercepting incoming Russian cruise missiles and drones at higher altitudes, work previously h...