- Ukraine celebrates the arrival of first F-16 fighter jets
Ukraine hopes that the arrival of the first combat aircraft of the American F-16 type will make a decisive contribution to its defense against Russian attackers. "This is another important step towards our victory," wrote Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on the Telegram platform. "F-16 in Ukraine means more dead occupiers, more intercepted rockets or planes with which the Russian criminals attack our Ukrainian cities."
"F-16s are in Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on an unspecified military airbase, presenting the first combat aircraft with the insignia of his country. The occasion was the Air Force Day. "We have done a lot to bring the Ukrainian Air Force to a new standard, that of Western combat aircraft," he said before the assembled soldiers and pilots.
He recalled many previous meetings and discussions with foreign partners about ways to strengthen Ukrainian air defense. The word "impossible" was often mentioned - wrongly, as it turned out. A video posted on the X platform shows several flying combat aircraft, including the F-16, with the yellow-blue roundels of Ukraine on their wings.
Zelenskyy did not provide information on how many combat aircraft have arrived in Ukraine so far. "The number of F-16s in Ukraine and the number of trained pilots are still not enough," he said. Western media have recently reported that between six and ten aircraft have been handed over to Kyiv.
Ukraine expects dozens of jets
The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium have pledged over 60 of these combat jets to Ukraine and have taken on the training of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel. The weapons and equipment of the jets are reportedly to come from the USA. Germany, which does not have F-16s in its inventory, did not contribute to this strengthening of the Ukrainian Air Force.
The combat aircraft is one of the most powerful military jets worldwide and is in use in more than two dozen countries. The machines from the US company Lockheed can be used for both air defense and against ground targets, i.e., to repel enemy forces. The F-16 is capable of flying at extremely low altitudes and in any weather.
Zelenskyy did not provide information on how the new combat aircraft will be used. "You will certainly see the results, although not all of them," Zelenskyy said in a conversation with journalists. "We will then decide whether to say if these were results from the use of F-16s."
According to Ukrainian military experts, the F-16s are unlikely to be flown in direct air battles with Russian machines over the front, as Russia has set up a dense air defense network. Additionally, the Russian military may try to destroy F-16s parked on Ukrainian bases.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces attacked several targets in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine with long-range rockets and cruise missiles - including a fuel depot, as reported by the state news agency TASS, citing military sources. Details of damages and possible casualties were not known. Social media reports included heavy explosions in an ammunition depot, with a thick black smoke cloud seen over the city.
Russian troops, meanwhile, are reportedly advancing in the strategically important eastern Ukrainian town of Chassiv Yar. For a long time, the Siverskyi Donets-Donbass Canal had formed a natural defensive line for the Ukrainians there. According to military bloggers, Russian units have crossed the canal at several points and are trying to establish a foothold in the town. The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also reported in its Saturday evening report that Russian troops were operating west of the canal. The Ukrainian-controlled suburb to the east had to be abandoned in July.
The Ukrainian military reported fierce fighting, in which at least 2,000 Russians were killed or wounded last week. Most recently, the Russian army attempted to take Chassiv Yar in a pincer movement. Fighting has since subsided following further Russian losses. These claims could not be independently verified.
Bulwark for securing Ukrainian cities
Chassiv Yar, located in the Donetsk region west of the city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia after months of heavy fighting in 2023, has since served as a bulwark securing important cities in the Ukrainian rear such as Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk.
In the ground battles in the east and south, the Ukrainian army has been on the defensive for a long time and has had to withdraw from several locations in recent weeks. The opening of a second front by Russia in the major city of Kharkiv in May forced Ukraine to redeploy troops there, leaving other front sections understaffed. Nevertheless, the Russian army has not yet achieved a significant breakthrough in its summer offensive.
Russians also advance near Pokrovsk
After heavy fighting, Russian troops are reportedly advancing near Pokrovsk in the east, according to the Ukrainian account. An officer of the Ukrainian forces defending the area attributed this to the enemy's "suicidal tactics," not sparing any losses in the attacks. The number of troops deployed is simply overwhelming.
The Ukrainian forces are currently focusing their efforts on defending Chasiv Yar, a town serving as a bulwark for securing important cities in the Ukrainian rear such as Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk. Despite Russian advances near Pokrovsk, the opening of a second front in Kharkiv forced Ukraine to redeploy troops, leaving other front sections understaffed, but the Russian army has not yet achieved a significant breakthrough in its summer offensive.
