Washington decides to send F-16 fighter jets to Kiev as Russia repels attack near Crimea | news

A US official announced that his country had agreed to send F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine, while the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships near the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine has aggressively sought US-made F-16 fighter jets to counter Russian air superiority.

Washington has given official assurances to Denmark and the Netherlands that it will speed up the approval process for requests to transfer F-16s to Ukraine once the pilots are trained, the official said.

Washington Consent

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent two letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts, assuring them that the U.S. would approve the requests, the U.S. official said.

Blinken said in his speeches that “it is imperative for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s continued aggression and violation of its sovereignty.”

Both Copenhagen and Amsterdam, which are leading international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots, have recently demanded such guarantees, and any transfer of military aircraft from its allies to Ukraine requires Washington’s approval.

Pilot training

An 11-nation alliance was in Denmark this month to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jets.

Ukraine has ruled out being able to deploy US-made F-16s this coming fall and winter, but it is significantly ramping up production of drones.

“It is already clear that Ukraine will not be able to defend itself with F-16 fighter jets in the coming fall and winter,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said – in reports broadcast by Ukrainian media.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that his country is “significantly” intensifying the production of drones, emphasizing the importance of these aircraft in defending his country against a Russian military attack.

Air defense

Ukraine also announced on Thursday that it will upgrade its air defenses with the “Iris-T” anti-aircraft missile system from Germany.

Director of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said via social media – thanks to this system, Ukraine’s airspace will be better protected against Russian attacks.

In Berlin, the German government released an updated list of new military equipment it provided to Ukraine, including two launch systems for a short-range version of the Iris-de-Van defense system.

The list includes 10 ground surveillance radars, “GO-12”, heavy trucks and more than 4,000 smoke bombs.

Attack near Crimea

In developments on the ground, two Russian warships intercepted a Ukrainian drone attack near Crimea on Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian military said the two patrol vessels fired on the boat and destroyed it before it reached its destination southwest of Sevastopol in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, near the strategic city of Kopiensk in Kharkiv province (northeastern Ukraine), fighting rages between Russian attempts to control the city.

The Russian military said it had taken control of Ukrainian military positions towards Kopiensk and repelled attacks by Ukrainian forces there.

Counter attack

On the other hand, the Ukrainian army announced yesterday, Thursday, that it had made major gains in its counteroffensive against Russian forces on the southeastern flank, a day after announcing the “liberation” of a village that had been a stronghold. to Russia.

The military said Ukrainian forces had advanced south of a village in Donetsk region, which Kiev said it had recaptured on Wednesday.

However, pro-Russian forces have denied that Ukrainian forces have taken control of Orogen and the nearby town of Staromyorskyi, stressing that fighting in the region continues.