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☆ Wagner Group shot down 6 Russian helicopters and a plane during its mini rebellion, Ukraine says, weakening Putin's air force at a time when it could prove critical
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner forces destroyed six Russian helicopters and a plane amid its short rebellion, Ukraine says. It's too soon to see how the chaos between Wagner and the Russian military establishment will affect things on the ground, she said. In one year of defending against Russia, Ukraine had shot down about 30 of Russia's helicopters, Forbes reported in February. At that time, Russia had about 300 helicopters — around half of them attack helicopters — based near its western borders, The Kyiv Post reported. As the recent chaos unfolded in Russia, Ukraine said it had managed to push forward in its counteroffensive.

Persons: Wagner, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Yurii, Ihnat, Prigozhin, Hanna Malyar, It's, Nazar, Forbes, Jens Stoltenberg, Putin Organizations: Service, Group, Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Air Force, Ukraine, Kremlin, Associated Press, Agence France, Russia, Kyiv Post, Guardian, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Ukrainian pilots describe the fear of being outgunned by Russia's air force and implore the West to give them F-16 jet fighters, in CNN interview
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian pilots implored the West to supply them with F-16 fighter jets, in a new CNN interview. In a recent interview with CNN, a pilot in the Ukrainian air force said the country's aged Soviet-era Su-25s can't compete with Russia's Su-35s, their radars, and long-range missiles. However, a deputy battalion commander highlighted that strong Russian air force power has made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to advance. "We try to maneuver to avoid them"Two US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons US Air Force photo by Tech. A Ukrainian pilot exits a MiG-29 fighter jet at an airbase outside of Kyiv, November 23, 2016.

Persons: —, Russia's Su, Pumba, Matthew Lotz, they're, Danil, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: CNN, Service, Ukrainian, Territorial Defense Brigade, NATO, US Air Force, Fighting Falcons US Air Force, Tech, West, Getty, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Russia, Ukrainian, Kyiv

“The main purpose of this aircraft is to support our ground forces at the front,” he explains. “I think we increase the morale of our ground forces too.”One of the main issues Kyiv’s ground forces have faced as the counteroffensive gets underway is Russian air power holding them back. "Juice" says the Ukrainian air force would be much more capable of protecting advancing ground forces if it had better aircraft. But the US now says it will train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft, and the UK and Denmark have been pressing for more. But while Russia maintains technological superiority in the air, it’ll be very difficult for Ukrainian pilots to push Moscow’s pilots out of their skies.

Persons: Russia’s Su, Su, Oleksyi, ”, “, ” Pumba, “ They’re, it’s, Vasco Cotovio, ” Juice, Juice, they’re, Pumba, Oleksyi Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ It’ll Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN —, ”, Territorial Defense Brigade, NATO, CNN, Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Europe, Ukrainian, Moscow, “, United States, Denmark

☆ Ukraine plans to train 'several dozen' combat pilots to fly F-16s
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine plans to send "several dozen" combat pilots for training to fly U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Friday, as western allies prepared the necessary training programmes. "Everything is being done to get it started as early as possible," Ihnat told Ukrainian national television, adding that the pilots picked for training would have combat experience. NATO members the Netherlands and Denmark are leading efforts by an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters this week that training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s could begin as soon as this summer. A final decision has not yet been taken on a request from Kyiv to supply dozens of F-16s, Ollongren said.

Persons: Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, It's, Kajsa Ollongren, Ollongren, Pavel Polityuk, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Ukrainian, NATO, Dutch Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Netherlands, Denmark, Kyiv, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Britain

☆ Russian missile attacks on Odesa and Donetsk region kill at least six, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Emergency services personnel work to control a fire at a business centre and the warehouse of a retail chain, caused by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this image released June 14, 2023. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, June 14 (Reuters) - Russian missiles struck civilian buildings in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa and eastern Donetsk region overnight, killing at least six people, Ukraine's military and local officials said early on Wednesday. Russia launched four cruise missiles on the city of Odesa, the South command of Ukraine's Armed Forces said. The three people killed were working at a retail chain's warehouse when a missile hit, setting it ablaze, the military added. In a separate missile strike, Russian forces killed three civilians in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Facebook.

Persons: Serhiy Bratchuk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Lidia Kelly, Pavel Polityuk, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Emergency Service of, REUTERS, Russia, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Facebook, Ukrainian Air Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, REUTERS KYIV, Ukraine's Black, Donetsk, Ukraine's, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Russia, Melbourne, Kyiv

☆ Zelenskyy says 'counteroffensive, defensive actions' taking place in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a press conference during the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Bulboaca, on June 1, 2023. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive actions were underway against Russian forces, asserting that his top commanders were in a "positive" mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line. Zelennsky said that "the counteroffensive, defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. This is a nuclear power plant's safest operating mode. Energoatom employees are still working at the power plant, although it remains controlled by the Russians.

Persons: Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin's, Zelennsky, Trudeau, Energoatom, Natalia Humeniuk, Oleh Syniehubov, Dmytro Lunin, Lunin, Ruslan Strilets, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin, Martin Griffiths, Olaf Scholz, Putin —, —, Scholz, Putin Organizations: Political, Russian, Canadian, Putin, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Staff, International Atomic Energy Agency, Emergency Service, Gov, Associated Locations: Ukraine, Bulboaca, Canada, Moscow, Ukraine's, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Russian, Odesa, Kharkiv, Poltava, Russia

☆ Russia has enough Iranian suicide drones to launch attacks every day to deplete Ukraine's air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia has enough Iranian-made suicide drones to launch attacks against Ukraine every day. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said Russia is using drones to deplete their air defenses. Ukraine has been bombarded relentlessly by the explosive drones and missile attacks in recent weeks. "Shaheds are now launched so often that it is not clear whether they are (supposed to be) detecting or depleting our air defense," Ihnat said, according to NV. Havrylov also told reporters that Ukraine's air defense systems were "more than 90 percent effective" at stopping the attacks, according to Reuters.

Persons: Yurii Ihnat, —, Ihnat, Volodymyr Havrylov, Havrylov Organizations: Ukrainian Air Force, Service, Air Force, NV, Reuters, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian

CNN —A wave of Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital left one person dead and sparked fires around the city, officials in Kyiv said early Sunday. “The enemy launched another overnight attack on military facilities and critical infrastructure in the country’s central regions, specifically Kyiv Oblast. A 41-year-old man died in the city’s Solomyanskyi district following the attacks, while falling drone debris at a gas station injured a 35-year-old woman, Mayor Klitshko said. Falling drone debris also sparked fires in buildings across the capital, the mayor said on Telegram. In the Pecherskyi district, the historical center of Kyiv, falling drone debris also sparked a fire on the roof of a nine-story building, Klitschko said.

☆ Kyiv Repels Its Largest Ever Drone Attack Launched by Russian Forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Marc Santora | Andrés R. Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Explosions echoed across Ukraine’s capital for hours before dawn on Sunday as air defense teams raced to combat the largest swarm of Russian attack drones targeting Kyiv since the war began more than 15 months ago. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down 52 out of 54 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones aimed at targets in central Ukraine, describing the number launched as a record. As Ukraine draws closer to launching a counteroffensive aimed at reclaiming land lost in the first months of the war, Moscow has stepped up its assaults on Kyiv. The capital has been attacked 14 times this month by waves of Russian drones, cruise missiles and sophisticated ballistic missiles. “This was the largest-ever drone attack on the capital since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, particularly using Shahed loitering munitions,” the Kyiv military administration said in a statement.

☆ F-16s for Ukraine: Kyiv would face big hurdles in using US-made jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Ukraine’s quest for US-made F-16 fighter jets received a big boost over the weekend when US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained to fly them. In fact, one active duty F-16 pilot told CNN that expectations may be way too high. An F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft has its landing gear extended to land at the US military airfield at Spangdahlem, Germany. This is a multi-year process, and that’s just for the basic tactical unit of employment,” the F-16 pilot said. “To bring in Western aircraft, Ukraine might need to repave and potentially extend a number of runways, a process which Russia would likely detect.

☆ Ukraine May Be Finally Getting the F-16s It Asked For. Why Did It Want Them?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Carlotta Gall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began over a year ago, officials in Kyiv have been asking their Western allies to supply the country’s air force with advanced warplanes such as the F-16. But the United States, which manufactures the fighter jet, was long reluctant to provide it, or to allow other countries that have F-16s to re-export them to Ukraine. How strong is the Ukrainian air force? Ukraine inherited a sizable but aging fleet of Soviet-designed fighter jets and helicopters, which is a legacy of its history as a part of the former Soviet Union. The Ukrainian air force fleet includes fighter jets such as the MiG-29, bombers, and transport and training aircraft, Col. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the force, said in an interview on Saturday.

☆ Russia adapted to the game-changing HIMARS, but Ukraine's new Storm Shadow missiles could put the fear back into its commanders, warfare experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Experts say Russian commanders are now facing logistical headaches and a renewed sense of fear. Warfare experts say Storm Shadow missiles could spark new logistical headaches for Russia, giving Kyiv a massive capability to put the fear back into Moscow's commanders who thought they were safe and out of reach. With an operational range of 155 miles, Storm Shadow will more than triple the distance for Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities. "So the more that these Russian commanders are exposed to Ukrainian fires, I expect their survivability to decrease," Barros said. "Employed well, in conjunction with psychological operations and other capabilities, Storm Shadow offers myriad opportunities to cognitively attack the enemy," he said.

☆ Russia says supplying F-16 jets to Ukraine would carry 'colossal' risks for West, TASS reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 20 (Reuters) - Western countries will run "colossal risks" if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, TASS news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Saturday. Grushko was responding to a question about the implications of providing the jets, which Ukraine has been requesting from NATO countries. It involves colossal risks for themselves," Grushko was quoted as saying. These fighters can engage aerial targets from both high and low altitudes," he said, adding that the jets can carry advanced weapons. "By utilising F-16s, our ground troops will be able to swiftly liberate occupied Ukrainian territories by targeting enemy command posts, military groups and logistics supply chains," he said.

☆ Biden told G7 allies the US will support joint F16 training effort for Ukrainians
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders on Friday that the US will support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth generation aircraft, including F-16s, a senior administration official tells CNN. The training is not expected to happen in the US, the official said, and will likely happen entirely in Europe. But US personnel will participate in the training alongside allies and partners in Europe, the official said. “As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said. But the US would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.

☆ Zelensky, Ukraine's president, plans to appear in person at Japan's G7 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

G7 member countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, include the largest backers of Ukraine’s defense. Diplomatic pushEarlier this week, Zelensky completed a whirlwind European tour, where he made a bid to restock Ukraine’s military arsenal during stops in Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Zelensky will also attend the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, two Arab diplomats confirmed to CNN. Zelensky met with envoy Li Hui earlier this week, China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry earlier that day had confirmed Li met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed “ways to stop Russian aggression.”

☆ Ukraine denies Russia destroyed Patriot missile defence system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, May 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine denied on Wednesday that a Russian hypersonic missile had destroyed a U.S.-made Patriot missile defence system during an air strike on Kyiv. Two U.S. officials later said a Patriot system had probably suffered damage but that it did not appear to have been destroyed. "I want to say: do not worry about the fate of the Patriot," Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. He ruled out the possibility of a Russian "Kinzhal" missile knocking out a Patriot system. The Patriot system is one of an array of sophisticated air defence units supplied by the West to help Ukraine repel Russian air strikes following Moscow's invasion last year.

CNN —A US-made Patriot air defense system was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday morning local time, a US official tells CNN. We’ll stay out of commenting on Russian sources,” said the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat. Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in country, one donated by the US and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged, but taking one out of commission – even for a short period – could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend Kyiv amid intensifying Russian missile attacks. The components operate together to fire a Patriot missile and successfully guide it to its target.

☆ Kyiv breathes sigh of relief after air defenses shoot down barrage of Russian rockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Josh Pennington Tim Lister Kostan Nechyporenko Olga Voitovych Ivana Kottasová Yulia Kesaieva | Josh Pennington | Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Most Kyiv residents would have had no way of knowing for sure that the sudden, terrifying loud bangs were the Ukrainian air defense systems taking down Russian missiles, rather than rockets hitting their city. Yulia Kesaieva/CNN“My wife counted over 30 explosions and we saw dozens of launches by the Ukrainian air defense from our balcony. Our air defense are real heroes. I think it’s both – the experience and the new air defense systems we got,” he told CNN. Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly talked up the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles for their ability to evade Ukraine’ original air defense systems.

☆ A US-made Patriot system was likely damaged in an 'intense' missile attack in Ukraine involving Russia's Kinzhal, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But a US official says the attack likely resulted in damage to a Patriot air-defense system, CNN reported. The barrage of missiles and drones launched by the Russians overnight included three ground-launched missiles, six Kinzhal missiles, and nine Kalibr missiles. The Patriot system firing in Greece in November 2017 as part of a NATO exercise. "Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine," he said. Just days later, in early May, Ukraine said it used its Patriots to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal missile.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: France, Germany step up military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

France said it will send dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. During the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched air strikes, along with missile, drone and heavy rocket attacks, on targets in Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian air force also counted 17 striks on areas where Russian personnel and military equipment were concentrated. * A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the multi-day trip.

CNN —Russia’s air force may have just suffered one of its worst days since the Ukraine war began. Some analysts believe Ukrainian air defenses may have been pushed forward as the Russian air force uses more “glide munitions” that can fire at targets from distance. They are using these bombs “from a distance that is unreachable for Ukrainian air defense,” he said. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, has also suggested that the nature of the threat has changed. That may be as of much concern in Russia as the loss of four aircraft over Russian territory

☆ Russia was trying to kill a Patriot when the US-made weapon took out the Kinzhal missile Putin claimed was unstoppable
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainians last week said they'd shot down a Russian hypersonic missile using a US Patriot system. Officials told CNN Friday the Patriot defense system was the target of the advanced missile attack. Putin had previously claimed the deadly Kinzhal missiles were unstoppable. But officials on Friday told CNN the defense system itself was the target of the attack — and the Patriot expertly defended itself. Representatives for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and the Government of the Russian Federation did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Russia's Kinzhal was never an unstoppable hypersonic missile, but the Patriot shot that killed one is still 'impressive,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile described as a hypersonic weapon with a US-made Patriot interceptor. Still, a missile defense expert told Insider the missile is tough target, making it an "impressive" kill. A missile defense expert called the intercept by a Patriot missile "impressive," for both the advanced American-made missile defense system and its Ukrainian operators. A general view of a mobile defence surface-to-air missile system, Patriot, before it is transported to Poland from Gnoien, Germany January 23, 2023. Gen. Pat Ryder said that he could "confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defense system."

☆ Ukraine wants F-16s to shoot down Russian strike fighters dropping bombs it can't beat. Airpower experts say give them the jets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Its defenses struggle to counter the bombs, so Ukraine wants tools to take out the Russian strike fighters. "Guided bombs are tricky for air defense because they have short flight times and usually very little infrared signature," he said. "The air defense system with the longest distance available to us is the S-300, but it's Soviet-era weapons." That is absolutely unrealistic," he said, challenging the arguments against sending fighter aircraft. There are significant training, supply chain, and operational hurdles to overcome, making essential ground-based air defense a priority in the meantime.

☆ Russia keeps up missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of expected Kyiv offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, May 7 (Reuters) - Russia kept up its missile attacks on Ukraine on Sunday ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, targeting an industrial site in the southern Mykolaiv region, authorities said. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told local television on Sunday morning that a total of six of those missiles had been fired at Ukraine overnight but that none had hit their targets. Russian forces have stepped up their long-range missile strikes on civilian and infrastructure targets in recent days. The overnight strikes coincided with Ukrainian and Russian media reports of multiple explosions across Russian-occupied Crimea. Ukraine, without confirming any role in those attacks, says destroying enemy infrastructure is preparation for a planned ground assault.

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