Russia's F-16 threats could start a war with NATO, Swedish military official Wands. Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements that F-16 fighter jets are legitimate targets for Moscow, even on third-country airfields, is an escalation of Russian rhetoric that could potentially lead to a war according to Swedish lieutenant Colonel Wachim Pasekivy. A group of 14 countries has pledged to deliver the F-16s and help Ukraine with training. Dmitro Kuleba, Ukrainian foreign minister said that the planes should be arriving in the coming months. While visiting the 344th Army Aviation Center for Combat Employment and retraining of Army Aviation pilots, Putin was asked about F-16s and if Russia would be allowed to hit these targets at NATO airfields. First, if they supply F-16s, this will not change the situation on the battlefield. We will destroy their aircraft just like we are now destroying their tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment, including multiple launch rocket systems, he said. Putin continued, of course, we would see them as legitimate targets if they operate from the airfields of third countries, no matter where they are located. F-16 aircraft can also carry nuclear weapons and we will also have to heed this while organizing our combat operations. If Putin wants a war with NATO, that's how you start it. Then it will be a third world war. Pasekivy told Swedish press agency TT. According to him, the fact that the F-16 can be equipped with nuclear weapons fits in well with the Russian narrative which revolves around the image of the West as the Great Aggressor. For Putin, it is important to constantly present the West as the major threat to the domestic audience. The West's so-called nuclear threat is at the center of the entire Russian narrative. Pasekivy said, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development and the ex-president Donald Trump's administration, took to ex saying, we shouldn't take Putin at his word. Far from it, I believe Russia is a serious threat to Eastern NATO. Japan prepares for war with China and Russia and transforms civilian airports into military assets. Japan is set to upgrade five airports and 11 seaports, repurposing them for use by its defense forces and coast guard during military emergencies. Kiyodo News reported, officials plan to green light the modernization effort soon with projects kicking off in April. The initial budget is pegged at about 35 billion yen or 230 million dollars. These upgrades include lengthening runways and expanding aprons at airports to accommodate fighter jets and transport planes while ports will be modified to dock destroyers and sizeable military vessels. The five airports earmarked for modernization are located in the prefectures of Fukoka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki and Okinawa. The latter being a central hub for US military bases in Japan. Of the designated ports, five are in Hokkaido, which houses numerous self-defense forces units. The remaining are spread across Kagawa and Kocchi in Shikoku and one each in Fukoka and Okinawa. This initiative is part of Japan's broader strategy to bolster the defense of its southwestern islands, especially given the ongoing tensions surrounding the Senkaku Islands. These uninhabited islands controlled by Tokyo, but claimed by China, have been a focal point of regional discord. Tokyo is seriously concerned about closer military cooperation between China and Russia in terms of security, both for Japan and the entire region. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated earlier in March. He said that Tokyo was gravely concerned about closer military cooperation between China and Russia in light of security for Japan as well as for the region. Our country intends to keep a close eye on development in Sino-Russian relations. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told.