Ukraine must be able to rely on the timely delivery of promised weapons. Following the arrival of the first F-16 jets, speculation about other types of fighter aircraft is already underway in Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning of delays in the delivery of promised weapons or ammunition from the West for the defense of his country. “It is important for us that a minimum of time passes between the announcement of the packages and their use on the front lines,” he said in his evening video contribution. He was grateful to all partners who kept their promises on time. In addition, his government is already working on new packages that could strengthen Ukraine’s position in the fall. Zelensky did not provide any further details.
Experts are considering additional fighter jets
After the first American-made F-16 fighter jets arrived in Ukraine, experts are already speculating about other aircraft types. “If we’re talking about needing 128 fighter jets, it doesn’t have to be just F-16s,” said Valery Ryabych, head of the Kiev-based consulting firm Defense Express, which specializes in military issues. “It could also be the (French) Mirage 2000/5 or the (Swedish) Saab Gripen.” Nothing should be ruled out definitively.
Ukraine will definitely continue to upgrade with Western-made fighter jets. Over time, the Ukrainian Air Force could also be equipped with so-called fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35. “Because aircraft are not about tactics – they are about strategy,” Rjabych said on television. “So if we have already received F-16s, our pilots will also be able to fly other Western aircraft.”
President Zelenskyj presented the first F-16s in service with the Ukrainian Air Force on Sunday. According to various media reports, Kiev has initially received between six and ten of the fighter jets. The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium have promised Ukraine a total of more than 60 of these fighter jets. The weapons and equipment for the aircraft are to come from the USA. Pilots and ground personnel have been trained in the West in recent months.
Ukrainian secret service exposes Russian agents
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian secret service SBU says it has uncovered and taken out a Russian agent network. The Russian secret service recruited potential employees in six regions of Ukraine via a chat page on the Telegram platform, the SBU in Kiev announced. They were supposed to pass on information about critical infrastructure and military targets. The SBU had been observing the spies for a while and has now struck.
A total of nine men were arrested – including two municipal officials from Dnipro and Yuzhne in the Odessa region. They were recruited because they were active as “commentators” in pro-Kremlin chat rooms. Their commanding officer from the Russian secret service FSB was also exposed, it was said. The information could not be independently verified.
Heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine
Russian and Ukrainian troops continue to engage in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine. The focus of the fighting was once again the city of Pokrovsk, where Russian troops have been trying for days to break through the Ukrainian positions, suffering heavy losses. Due to the increased danger level, the regional crisis team ordered the evacuation of children and their families from over a dozen threatened villages.
According to the General Staff in Kiev, repeated Russian attacks were also reported from Toretsk. These were supported by fighter planes that dropped ten glide bombs on the city.
Late in the evening, air and missile alerts were sounded in several regions of Ukraine. Residents of the capital Kiev reported several explosions, which may have been caused by anti-aircraft defenses.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
