 Russia's F-16 threats could start a war with NATO, Swedish military official warns. 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 Joachim Pasikivi. A group of 14 countries has pledged to deliver the F-16s and help Ukraine with training. Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that the planes should be arriving in the coming months. While visiting the 344th Army Aviation Centre 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, armoured 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 organising 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 centre of the entire Russian narrative. Pasekivy said, Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development under 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 5 airports and 11 seaports, repurposing them for use by its defence forces and coast guard during military emergencies, Kyodo News reported. Officials plan to greenlight the modernisation 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 5 airports earmarked for modernisation are located in the prefectures of Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki and Okinawa, the latter being a central hub for US military bases in Japan. Of the designated ports, 5 are in Hokkaido, which houses numerous self-defence forces units. 5 are spread across Kagawa and Kochi in Shikoku and 1 each in Fukuoka and Okinawa. This initiative is part of Japan's broader strategy to bolster the defence of its southwestern islands, especially given the ongoing tensions surrounding the Senkaku Islands. These uninhabited islets, 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.