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Following a pattern of heavy bombardments after Ukrainian battlefield or diplomatic gains, Russia launched 36 missiles in the early hours, Ukraine's Air Force said. The Russian missiles triggered air-raid sirens and landed across Ukraine, including at the Kremenchuk refinery, where the extent of damage was unclear. Ukraine said the barrage included three KH-31 missiles and one Oniks anti-ship cruise missile, which its air defences cannot shoot down. [1/6] Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Air Assault Brigade fire M119 Howitzer artillery weapon towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bahmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 16, 2023. Its capture would give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger Donetsk cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

☆ Ukraine has its sights on US-made fighter jets, but those aren't Kyiv's 'most pressing need,' top Democrat says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Having received Western-made tanks, Ukrainians say their next goal is getting Western fighter jets. Ukraine operated roughly 82 MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets at the start of the war, as well as Su-24 and Su-25 ground-attack aircraft. Russia's newer Su-30s and Su-35s still have technical advantages, however, and downed several Ukrainian jets in the first days of the war. Calls to supply Ukraine with fighter jets picked up after the US, Germany, and other countries said they would send tanks. That pattern, seen with long-range rocket artillery and advanced air-defense systems, leads some to believe the US and other countries will ultimately relent on fighter jets.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ Ukraine denies report it intends to get 24 jets from allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A pair of Ukrainian Su-25 jet fighters fly low, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marko Djurica/File PhotoJan 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's air force on Saturday denied a newspaper report saying it intended to get 24 fighter jets from allies, saying talks about potential deliveries were still continuing, a domestic media outlet said. Spain's El Pais newspaper, citing air force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat, said Ukraine initially wanted two squadrons of 12 planes each, preferably Boeing F-16 jets. Later in the day, he told Ukrainian national television that allied nations did not like public speculation about jets, Interfax Ukraine news agency said. Germany's defence minister this week ruled out the idea of sending jets to Ukraine.

☆ 'We will get F-16s': Ukraine aims for NATO's fighter jets after winning battle for Western tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesThe dust has barely settled on the decision by the U.S. and Germany to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, but talk has already turned to the possible use of other firepower, namely, fighter jets. Kyiv appears confident that, as with Western tanks, it will eventually be given F-16s too. The U.S. has been tight-lipped about giving Ukraine F-16s, or allowing other countries to re-export their own U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine (National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he had no announcement to make on the issue Wednesday). How helpful fighter jets would be to Ukraine is a matter for debate, and depends on the aircraft, its weaponry and flying conditions, experts note. Germany arrived at its decision to send tanks after months of pressure and deliberation, making any question over fighter jets a very distant prospect, according to Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at analysis firm Teneo.

☆ Now that Ukraine is finally getting the tanks it wants, it's already looking for the next big thing — fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine is finally getting the tanks it wants, but there's more on the wishlist. Kyiv says the next thing it wants is fighter jets. Yuriy Sak, an advisor to the Ukrainian defense minister, concurred, telling Reuters that "the next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets." Throughout Russia's 11-month-long war, Ukraine has repeatedly pressed the US and other partners to provide Western fighter jets. This pattern has been seen with rocket artillery, high-profile air defense systems, armored fighting vehicles, and, most recently, tanks.

☆ Ukraine sets sights on fighter jets after securing tank supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets," Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters by phone. Ukraine's Air Force has a fleet of ageing Soviet-era fighter jets that came off the assembly line before Kyiv even declared independence more than 31 years ago. "If we get them (Western fighter jets), the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense... It's not just F-16s (U.S. multirole fighter jets): fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want." Despite any lack of significant palpable movement on the matter, Ukraine's Air Force has yearned for better aircraft throughout the war.

☆ The 'carrier killer' missile Russia fired into a Ukrainian apartment building, killing dozens, is 'notoriously inaccurate' and unpredictable, intelligence and experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Britain's defense ministry said the Kh-22 missile used in the attack is "notoriously inaccurate." The Kh-22 used in the attack is a Soviet-era supersonic anti-ship missile equipped with a 2,000-pound warhead. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, referred to it as an "aircraft carrier killer" and said it's designed to "destroy aircraft carrier groups at sea." "They're tough to intercept with traditional air defenses," he said, adding that "you almost need a ballistic missile defense interceptor." This method poses a challenge to air defense systems because radars focus on certain sectors of the sky, he explained.

☆ Zelenskyy aide resigns after suggesting Ukraine air defense caused a Russian missile to hit an apartment building, killing 44
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian official resigned after suggesting Russia did not target a Dnipro apartment block with a missile. Oleksiy Arestovych said Ukraine shot down the Russian missile that hit the block, killing 44. There was an international outcry after a massive Russian KH-22 missile slammed into the residential block on Saturday. Russian missiles have repeatedly struck residential buildings throughout the war. Contrary to Arestovych's statement, Ukraine's air force said that the country doesn't have the capability to shoot down the type of missile Russia used on Saturday, which has been dubbed an "aircraft carrier killer."

Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been bolstering the drills with weaponry and military equipment. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. Ukraine's Air Force said the apartment block was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which is known to be inaccurate and that Ukraine lacks the air defences to shoot down. SOLEDARIn Ukraine's eastern Donbas region - the focal point of Russia's drive to capture more territory - Ukraine's forces were battling around the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the town, but Ukraine insisted on Sunday that its forces were battling to hold the town, with street fighting raging and Russian forces advancing from various directions.

That was on top of 31 missile attacks and 12 air strikes across the country in the past 24 hours. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter: "Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron." Russian media also reported multiple Ukrainian attacks on the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with local officials saying at least nine people were wounded. There was no immediate response from Kyiv, which rarely comments on attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine gives all-clear after air-raid alarms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen take cover as an air-raid siren sounds, near an apartment building damaged by recent shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichKYIV, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Air raid sirens wailed in Kyiv and across all Ukrainian regions on Sunday morning but no new Russian attacks were reported, officials said. Unconfirmed Ukrainian social media reports suggested the sirens may have been triggered after Russian jets took to the skies in Belarus and that the all-clear was sounded after the planes returned to their bases. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air forces, told national television earlier on Sunday that Russian military jets were flying virtually around the clock. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk Editing by David Goodman and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian fighter jets are struggling in Ukraine, but Ukraine can't beat their missiles and radars, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian air force's lackluster performance in Ukraine has been scrutinized throughout the war. Despite its failings over Ukraine, Russia's air force still has advanced jets and missiles. Russian pilots have modified their operations in order to make the most of those advantages. But that doesn't mean that the Russian air force is stupid. Yuri Smityuk\TASS via Getty ImagesDespite initial fears that they would be smashed by Russian missiles and jets, Ukrainian air defenses have had a major impact.

[1/3] Firefighters work outside an office building destroyed in shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, Ukraine December 5, 2022. A new Russian missile barrage had been anticipated in Ukraine for days and it took place just as emergency blackouts were due to end, with previous damage repaired. "In many regions, there will have to be emergency blackouts," he said in a late Monday video address. The United States said it would convene a virtual meeting on Thursday with oil and gas executives to discuss how it can support Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Russia says it is waging a "special military operation" in Ukraine to rid it of nationalists and protect Russian-speaking communities.

☆ Neither Russia nor Ukraine can control the air over Ukrainian battlefields, but their aircraft are still finding ways to operate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Russian air force's performance in Ukraine has fallen well short of expectations before the war. Neither the Russia air force nor Ukrainian forces can control the skies over Ukraine, however. But Russian aircraft have never able to achieve air superiority over Ukraine. Right now, neither military can control the airspace over Ukraine, but pilots from both sides are still finding ways to operate. In Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian aircraft often have to fire blindly or with only cursory attempts to aim at enemy targets before ducking down or veering off to avoid incoming fire.

"They're really trying to overwhelm and exhaust Ukrainian air defense systems," Kahl told reporters during a trip to the Middle East. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Western military experts widely expected the Russian military to try to immediately destroy Ukraine's air force and air defenses. "I think one of the things that probably surprised the Russians the most is how resilient Ukraine's air defenses have been since the beginning of this conflict," Kahl said. "In large part, that's because of the ingenuity and cleverness of the Ukrainians themselves in keeping their air defense systems viable. Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin focused on air defense supplies for Ukraine at a virtual meeting he hosted from the Pentagon.

☆ Ukraine is scrambling to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. Here are the weapons other countries are sending in to help.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Here are some of the air-defense systems that countries are sending Ukraine to take on that threat. The US, Britain, and several other countries are sending Ukraine a variety of air-defense systems. Here are some that are being supplied to Ukraine:NASAMSThe National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. Norwegian Ministry of DefenseParticularly significant is that rather than custom-designed surface-to-air missiles, NASAMS fires existing air-to-air missiles that are modified to be launched from the ground. Shan Yuqi/Xinhua via Getty ImagesUkraine has already received the first of four German IRIS-T short-range anti-aircraft missile systems.

☆ Lights go out in Ukraine as Russia launches 'massive' strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An electrician works to repair an electricity power line that was damaged from shelling above a former battlefield, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, October 21, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up on Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defense tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles. Ukraine's air force said in a statement Saturday that Russia had launched "a massive missile attack" targeting "critical infrastructure," hours after air raid sirens blared across the country. The presidential office said in its morning statement that five explosive-laden drones were downed in the central Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv. Over the past two weeks, Moscow has increased its attacks on key civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.

☆ Power cuts after Ukrainian infrastructure pounded again on Saturday
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Critical infrastructure across Ukraine was pounded by more than a dozen Russian missiles on Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said, with several regions reporting strikes on energy facilities and power outages. Ukraine's air force command reported that 33 missiles had been fired at Ukraine on Saturday morning, and that 18 of those had been shot down. Since Oct. 10, Russia has launched a series of devastating salvos at Ukraine's power infrastructure, which have hit at least half of its thermal power generation and up to 40% of the entire system. "Deliberate strikes on Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure are part of Russia’s genocide of Ukrainians," Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Moscow has acknowledged targeting energy infrastructure but denies targeting civilians.

☆ Russian attack hits major power plant in west Ukraine - governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A Russian missile strike hit a major thermal power station in the city of Burshtyn in western Ukraine on Wednesday, the region's governor said, the latest in a wave of attacks on critical infrastructure ahead of winter. The Burshtyn thermal power station was hit, which caused a fire," Svitlana Onyshchuk, Ivano-Frankivsk's governor, said in a video statement online. The same facility was hit by four missiles on Oct. 10, the governor said. Serhiy Borzov, governor of the Vinnytsia region in western Ukraine, said Russia had also carried out attacks on energy facilities in his region on Wednesday. Three people were injured in drone attacks in the northeast region of Chernyhiv, a senior official from the president's office said.

☆ Explainer: 'Kamikaze drones': what are the weapons Russia is using in Ukraine?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russia launched dozens of "kamikaze" drones on Ukraine on Monday, hitting energy infrastructure and killing five people in the capital of Kyiv. Ukraine says they are Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones - loitering munitions that cruise towards their target before plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact. On the radar, it is one mark, and in that mark there are actually five (drones)," Ihnat said. Ukraine shot down 51 Shahed-136 drones on Oct. 17-18, Ihnat said on Tuesday. A day earlier he put the tally of downed drones at 100 since Russia began using them.

☆ Before-and-after photos show the moment an Iranian 'suicide drone' detonates in Russian strike on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple Ukrainian officials said Russia used Iran-made drones in the Monday morning strikes. Firefighters work after a drone fired on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022 AP Photo/Roman HrytsynaSerhiy Kruk, the head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, said three people were killed. Klitschko and other Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia used "kamikaze drones," which are drones that explode on impact. Multiple Ukrainian officials identified the drones as ones made in Iran, which are being increasingly seen on the battlefield in Ukraine. A drone is seen during an attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 17, 2022.

☆ Ukraine shot down 85-86% of Russian drones involved in latest attacks - air force
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine has destroyed 37 Russian drones since Sunday evening, around 85-86% of the number involved in attacks, Ukraine's air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on Monday. "That's quite a good result for the work of our air defences and that number will rise in the future," he told a news briefing, adding that all the drones had flown into Ukraine from the south. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Pavel Polityuk; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin's wounded military is using suicide drones to spread 'terror and chaos' among Ukraine's civilians, experts and officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian officials identified the drones as Iranian-made loitering munitions, commonly called "suicide" or "kamikaze" drones. One military expert said Putin is purposely using these to spread "terror and chaos" among Ukrainians. In both cases, Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russia used Iranian-made loitering munitions, or suicide drones. It's unclear how many Iranian-made drones Russia has in its arsenal. Ukrainian officials and Western heads of state took to social media and slammed Russia for the wave of attacks, especially the strikes on civilian centers.

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