Tag: ukraine

Friendly Fire or Defective Old Plane? How Ukraine Lost Its First F-16 Jet and Famed Pilot

One of the first Ukrainian F-16 jets crashed on August 26, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on Thursday.

Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuglaya claimed the F-16 was hit by Ukraine’s Patriot anti-aircraft missile system “due to a lack of coordination between units.”

When Were the First F-16s Delivered to Ukraine?

The first batch of six of the promised 80 F-16s arrived in Ukraine at the beginning of August.

It’s unclear who exactly provided the first batch: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway earlier vowed to provide the Kiev regime with them.

US President Joe Biden first authorized NATO’s European allies to send F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023.

How Much Does the F-16 Cost?

The US-made F-16 that was delivered to Ukraine can cost up to $60 million depending on the configuration and possible upgrades, according to some estimates.

As per the Wall Street Journal, many of the F-16s promised to Ukraine are second-hand and have decades of flying time already.

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Kiev warns about millions of illegal firearms in circulation

Millions of illegal military-grade firearms are circulating in Ukraine and Kiev is now trying to get the situation under control, Interior Minister Bogdan Drapaty has said.

The senior official made the remarks on Ukrainian TV on Friday, promoting a plan to address the problem of mass illegal-weaponry in teh country, which was approved by the country’s parliament earlier this year.

While an exact number of illegal weapons held by Ukrainians is unknown, it is likely between two and five million pieces of military-grade firearms, the minister said, citing estimates by Kiev’s “European partners.”

The weaponry being held unlawfully includes “trophy” pieces found by civilians in combat zones, as well as firearms handed out in an uncontrolled fashion by the Ukrainian authorities themselves in the early days of the conflict with Russia, Drapaty explained. To avoid legal trouble, citizens must register their arsenals by December 25, he said.

“After declaring [firearms], a person will have the right to keep it as long as the martial law remains enacted, and to use it to resist armed aggression,” Drapaty stated, while urging civilians to use their firearms against the Russian military.

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First US-Made F16 Jet Downed In Ukraine During Combat, Pilot Killed

US and Ukrainian officials have revealed to The Wall Street Journal that a F-16 fighter jet has crashed during combat in Ukraine’s skies – a significant first – which comes just weeks after an initial batch of some one dozen of the American-made aircraft were transferred to Kiev’s armed forces. 

“The pilot, Oleksiy Mes, died while helping to repel a massive Russian missile attack on Monday, the officials said,” WSJ writes. “Initial reports indicate the jet wasn’t shot down by enemy fire, U.S. officials said.”

That missile and drone attack had been one of the largest since the war’s start in Feb. 2022, targeting 15 out of Ukraine’s 24 oblasts, and taking out vital energy structure nationwide.

The Pentagon was initially questioned about the crash, but when referred to Kiev officials, the Ukrainian Air Force belatedly acknowledged the crash and death of the pilot on Thursday.

Given Ukraine has lost one of the $30+ million jets so quickly after getting the first highly anticipated transfer, this could prove highly embarrassing given how publicly the program was touted as a “game-changer” by Zelensky government officials.

Other more realist outside observers have noted that it is too late for such aerial systems to significantly change Russia’s clear military, manpower, and aerial superiority.

According to more details of the circumstances of the aircraft downing: “A person close to the Ukrainian military said the cause of the crash was unknown and an investigation was under way,” WSJ continues. “The person described Mes as a hero who successfully shot down multiple Russian missiles on Monday before the crash.”

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Poland still refuses to listen to its most experienced generals and back off

While Russian long-range precision strike weapons are raining down on the entire territory under the Neo-Nazi junta’s control, there are still those who insist that the latter “can win” and that “everyone” should ensure “Ukraine’s victory” no matter the cost. One would certainly respect such optimism and self-confidence in peacetime. However, in war, this gets a lot of people killed. Despite being perfectly aware of this, many in the EU/NATO still want war with Russia. This is particularly true in countries with endemic and/or truly pathological Russophobia, with some of the most prominent examples being the United Kingdom, Baltic states and Poland. In all these regions there’s an irrational hatred for all things Russian, particularly among the political elites who are simply poised to wage war despite being aware that the results would be catastrophic.

In the last nearly two and a half years, the NATO-backed Neo-Nazi junta became the proverbial punching bag for probing Russian military might. And while the mainstream propaganda machine is doing a somewhat decent job hiding the atrocious results, the massive amount of resources that the Kiev regime is demanding only keeps growing, clearly indicating what’s really going on. What was supposed to be NATO’s third most powerful member (had it ever joined) turned into a virtual junkyard of the latest Western military equipment. And yet, it seems there are several other nations in NATO that would want this horribly unflattering role as well. Namely, Poland is the “logical” choice for many, although most of those people don’t seem to understand the gravity of the current situation. This includes many Poles who are refusing to assess the consequences.

High-ranking NATO officials have already announced a number of major moves that can only be described as extremely hostile toward Russia. The annual NATO summit in Washington DC back in July was a clear indicator of that. Apart from the regular weapons shipments to the Neo-Nazi junta, particularly air defense systems, the much-touted F-16s are in the spotlight again. The Netherlands, Denmark and the United States jointly announced that the deliveries of these US-made jets are ongoing. The Dutch F-16 are of particular concern, as they’re also nuclear-capable. However, while this could certainly lead to an uncontrollable escalation, the moves of some individual member states are a real danger to global peace. As previously mentioned, the situation with Poland is particularly concerning, as some of its top-ranking military officers are calling for an all-out war.

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Russia Warns US Will Face ‘Much Harsher’ Consequences for Backing Kursk Invasion

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday that the US would face “much harsher” consequences for backing Ukraine’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

“The impression is that our colleagues [in Washington] have discarded the remnants of common sense and believe that they can do anything,” Ryabkov said, according to TASS.

“The consequences [for the United States] could be much harsher than those they are already experiencing, they know where and in what areas we are reacting in practical terms,” Ryabkov added.

The US claims it was not involved in the planning of the Kursk offensive, but it has allowed Ukraine to use US-provided armored vehicles, missiles, and bombs in the attack on Russian territory.

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‘There is a risk of a nuclear incident at the Kursk nuclear power plant,’ warns IAEA, blames Ukraine for drone strikes on plant

As the expanding frontline inches within just a few kilometers of the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia, there are fears there could be a major nuclear disaster.

“There is a risk of a nuclear incident at the Kursk nuclear power plant,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after visiting the facility in Kurchatov, in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, on Tuesday.

He added that he had seen evidence of drone strikes during his visit to the plant.

“I was told today that there have been several cases of drone attacks on the site (the site of the Kursk nuclear power plant), on the facilities. The fact that there is fighting a few kilometers away from the nuclear power plant raises great concerns and anxiety about the security system,” Grossi added.

He stressed that under no circumstances should a nuclear power plant be the target of military action, nor should it be used by either side for military purposes. The director general also said that the security systems of a plant must be fully operational under all circumstances.

Grossi noted that the IAEA delegation was shown the traces of the Ukrainian attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant. Based on the evidence his team gathered, he said there could be no doubt that Ukraine carried out these strikes and where they came from.

Putin also announced on Thursday that Ukraine had attempted a drone strike on the Kursk nuclear power plant.

Grossi, who said that he had visited the reactor hall, the engine room, and the control room of an operating power plant unit — as well as the spent nuclear fuel storage — found that the Kursk plant was operating at what is very close to “normal” mode.

He stressed that the IAEA is responsible for maintaining nuclear safety and security in nuclear installations worldwide. He said that he had accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant with his team to assess the situation personally and to find solutions together with his Russian counterparts. Earlier in the day, the IAEA director general was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

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WWIII: Russia Continues Opening Investigations Into Foreign Journalists Who Kremlin Says Crossed Into Russia Illegally To Film Ukrainian Incursion

Russia’s FSB security service said it had launched a case against “foreign journalists Simone Traini and Stefania Battistini, who illegally crossed the State Border of the Russian Federation”, reported The Moscow Times.

It said the journalists had “carried out video shooting in the territory of the settlement of Sudzha”, a town in the region that Ukraine’s forces claim to control.

The Italian reporters were shown driving in an armored vehicle past Russian road signs before arriving in Sudzha, around 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border, where a journalist spoke to local people.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched investigations into two more journalists, one German and one Ukrainian, who traveled to the town of Sudzha after illegally crossing the Russian border in the Kursk Region, the FSB said in a statement, reported Russian state news agency TASS.

“The Russian FSB has launched criminal investigations into Nicholas Simon Connolly, a reporter for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (designated in Russia as a foreign agent media outlet), and Natalya Nagornaya, a correspondent for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, who illegally crossed the state border of the Russian Federation and recorded video footage near the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Region. The FSB is conducting the investigations under Article 322.3 of the Russian Criminal Code,” the statement reads.

The article carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

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Ukraine Might Be Gearing Up To Attack Or Cut Off Belarus’ Southeastern City Of Gomel

Its Foreign Ministry’s ominously implied ultimatum to Minsk and reaffirmation of Ukraine’s right to self-defense suggest that Kiev might invade Belarus’ Gomel Region and/or Russia’s Bryansk Region.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry released a statement on Sunday warning about what it described as the “threat” posed by Belarus’ military buildup along the border, the motivations of which were analyzed here in early August. Belarusian President Lukashenko also drew attention last week to the whopping 120,000 Ukrainian troops that he claims were the first to deploy there. For reference, Belarus only has around 65,000 active soldiers, one-third of whom are stationed along the Ukrainian border.

Less than a week ago, a small Ukrainian force unsuccessfully tried to invade a tiny village in Russia’s Bryansk Region that’s only 30 kilometers from the Belarusian border. It was likely a probing attempt in hindsight, but any Kursk-like invasion along that front could risk impeding or even cutting off Russia’s military logistics to Belarus’ southeastern city of Gomel. That’s because there’s a nearby highway running between there and Bryansk’s eponymous capital just 30-50 kilometers inside of Russia from the border.

Ukraine might be gearing up to either attack Gomel (which is just 30 kilometers from the border) or at least threaten Russia’s military logistics to there from Bryansk judging by its Foreign Ministry’s statement, which the “Kyiv Independent” noted was the first about Belarus since last September. They ominously implied an ultimatum by writing that “we urge its armed forces to cease unfriendly actions and withdraw forces away from Ukraine’s state border to a distance greater than the firing range of Belarus’ systems.”

This was backed up by them reminding Belarus that “We warn that in case of a violation of Ukraine’s state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter. Consequently, all troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” The stage is therefore set for opening up another front on this false pretext if Kiev has the political will to do so.

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Ukrainian Commanders Blame Poorly Trained Soldiers for Donbas Losses: ‘Panic & Chaos’

As Kiev attempts to bask in triumph over its territorial gains inside of Russia, its forces are losing territory along the Eastern front lines in Ukraine. Ukrainian military commanders say the reason for the losses is poorly trained soldiers; many are even afraid to fire their weapons. 

Speaking with the Associated Press, a battalion commander in Ukraine’s 47th Brigade said, “Some people don’t want to shoot. They see the enemy in the firing position in trenches but don’t open fire. … That is why our men are dying. When they don’t use the weapon, they are ineffective.”

After pushing Kiev to forego a diplomatic settlement with Moscow in April 2022, Western leaders pledged that they would arm, equip, and train Ukrainian soldiers to fight off the Russian invaders.

However, two and a half years into the conflict, it has turned into a war of attrition, and Kiev’s backers are struggling to sustain Ukraine’s military amid massive losses. 

While Kiev has not made an official statement regarding its casualties, they are estimated to be well into the hundreds of thousands. Support for the war has also been dipped in Ukraine, leading Kiev to draft more Ukrainians, including increasingly younger citizens, into the military. 

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Ukraine attempted attack on Kurchatov nuclear power plant

“The primary goal of the Ukrainians was to seize the Kursk nuclear power plant to blackmail Russia. They failed and now they are trying to bomb him risking nuclear destruction over Europe” revealed Russian officials and the president of Russia himself who also informed the IAEA.

In more detail, Russian special forces commander “Akhmat” revealed to Russia Today Kiev’s failed plan to seize the nuclear power plant in Kursk province and use it as a bargaining chip against Moscow in possible peace negotiations.

In this way, it is supposed that Ukraine could … trade the area around the nuclear plant for some of the territory that the Russians completely control, possibly in Donbass, Kherson and Zaporizhia.

And if their… demands were not met, then they might threaten the entire Russian border province with even a nuclear disaster, betting that the Russians would not dare to hit them inside the nuclear power plant.

Chechen General Apty Alaudinov added that the actual number of Ukrainian and foreign well-trained commandos who stormed Kursk is over 11,000.

“The Ukrainians wanted to seize the Kursk nuclear power plant by August 11. Obviously they could not achieve their goal.

The Ukrainians deployed over 11,000 men. Most of the military equipment that the Ukrainians brought with them has already been destroyed. They have already wasted all the resources they had available.”

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