Why the Russian F-16 jet went down Tuesday night? The case of Kyiv, Ukraine: Air force response from U.S., NATO and NATO
Analysts say that the planes will not fundamentally change the war because of Russia’s air force and air-defense systems. But Ukrainian officials welcomed the supersonic jets, which can carry modern weapons used by NATO countries, for offering an opportunity to hit back at Russia’s air superiority.
At the end of last month, officials in the U.S. told The Associated Press that the first of a set of F-16s had arrived in Ukraine.
Belgium, Denmark the Netherlands and Norway — all NATO members — have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 of the planes. That number is dwarfed by the Russian jet fighter fleet, which is around 10 times larger.
Authorities in the capital, Kyiv, said debris of destroyed drones fell in three districts of the city, causing minor damage to civilian infrastructure but no injuries.
Russian forces fired missiles and Shahed drones at Ukrainian targets. Fourteen drones fell before they reached their target because of air defenses stopping two missiles and 60 drones.
The pilot who saved Ukrainians from Russian missiles, was identified by the Ukrainian air force as Col. Alexei “Moonfish” Mes.
Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being conducted into why the F-16 jet went down Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine.
The army general staff of the Ukraine acknowledged that it played a part in strikes on oil depots deep inside Russia.
The attacks in Kharkiv by the Ukrainian air drones: more evidence for the U.S. military power and cooperation with the Kremlin
The Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev added that four Ukrainian aerial drones and three sea drones were destroyed “at a significant distance” from the peninsula’s shore.
“We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelenskyy said in an address minutes after the order was published. He said that the army needs to be strengthened at the command level.
Zelenskyy pointed to the strikes in Kharkiv as more proof that the Ukrainian military can use donated weapons.
The F-16s can fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers). They can also fire modern weapons used by NATO countries.
The U.S. built warplanes to be sent to Ukraine were given authorization by President Joe Biden. That came after months of pressure from Kyiv and internal debate in the U.S. administration where officials feared the move could escalate tensions with the Kremlin.
The Ukrainians went through months of intensive training on the F-16s in the West in order to become proficient with Soviet-era warplanes. Three years is the usual training period.
A Russian attack on the eastern city of Kharkiv on Friday evening ruled out by a U.S.-A. air force
Oleshukh wanted her to face legal consequences for defaming the air force and alienating U.S. arms manufacturers.
Meanwhile, a Russian attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv using powerful plane-launched glide bombs killed six people, including a 14-year-old girl on a playground, and wounded 47 others, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.
A bomb went off in an apartment block, setting the building ablaze and trapping at least one person on the upper floor. Emergency crews searching for survivors feared the structure could collapse.
Five people have been killed and 37 have been injured in the Russian city of Belgorod as a result of Ukrainian rockets hitting on late Friday. The region is often the site of drone or artillery attacks.
“We must carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are, and whose responsibility it is,” Oleshchuk wrote in the post shortly before his dismissal.
The Russian army is making gradual progress in its drive to enter eastern Ukraine while the Ukrainian soldiers are holding their ground after an incursion.
“Today the ministers agreed to raising the target to 75,000, adding 15,000 more by the end of the year,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the meeting.
The training needs to be adapted to the Ukrainian needs. He stated that the EU would set up a cell in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in order to make the training more effective.
The dismissal came on the same day that Oleshchuk lambasted the deputy head of the defense committee for her claims about the downed F-16. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the U.S.-made systems.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the commander of the country’s air force Friday, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot.
