News blog about the Ukraine war
Ukraine admits: Russians are on the offensive here
From dpa, t-online, afp, rtr
Updated on 08/25/2023 – 01:18 Reading time: 41 min.
Putin on Russian TV: This is how he comments on the plane crash. (Source: Reuters)
Day 548: Ukraine again repels Russian attacks on the ground. The top US general comments on the pace of the counteroffensive. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
Government: Norway wants to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
1.18 am: Norway is the third European country to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe confirmed corresponding media reports on Thursday during a surprise visit to Kiev on the occasion of the Ukrainian Independence Day. Gahr Störe explained that further details about the number of fighter jets and the time frame for delivery would be communicated “in due course”.
The Norwegian news agency NTB reported, with reference to Prime Minister Gahr Störe, that Oslo wanted to provide Kiev with between five and ten F-16 jets. When asked by the AFP news agency, its office did not want to confirm the report.
In addition to delivering the F-16 fighter jets, Norway also said it would support Ukraine with Iris-T anti-aircraft systems, mine clearance equipment and a 1.5 billion Norwegian krone ($150 million) aid package to buy gas and electricity for the winter to.
US Chief of Staff – Ukraine to soon receive F16 jets
1.11 a.m.: According to the top US general, Ukraine is likely to receive F-16 fighter jets soon. US Chief of Staff Mark Milley says in an exclusive interview with Jordanian public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka, “F-16s. It’s actually moving forward. There’s a training program and they’ll probably get F-16s in the not too distant future.”
He also says in the interview that it is too early to say whether Ukraine’s counter-offensive failed. “Ukrainians still have a considerable amount of fighting power; it’s not over yet”. So far, she’s clearly had partial success. The pace of the offensive is slower than the planners had thought.
TASS – Two Moscow airports are suspending air traffic
12:45 a.m.: As the Russian news agency Tass reports, the Moscow airports Vnukovo and Domodedovo suspended air traffic early Friday morning. The Russian military said it had intercepted a long-range S-200 missile from Ukraine over Russian territory. According to reports by the Russian online media portal Baza, residents of the Russian regions of Tula and Kaluga had previously reported on social media about explosions that they had heard during the night. Air traffic had already been briefly interrupted on Tuesday and Wednesday due to Ukrainian drone attacks.
Zelenskyj thanks US President Biden
12:20 a.m.: US President Joe Biden sends his greetings on the occasion of Independence Day in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said on Friday night that he had spoken to Biden and thanked him for the US President’s greetings and support from the United States. “Together we are proving that it is worth fighting for freedom and independence,” says Zelenskyj.
Ukrainian military: Russians are on the offensive on this front
12:10 a.m.: According to military sources, Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on several front sectors on Thursday. The situation report of the General Staff in Kiev on the evening of the national holiday mentioned, among other things, the sections Kupyansk in the east of the country and Avdiivka north of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk. At Marjinka, southwest of Donetsk, the Russians were on the offensive; but they managed to hold them back. The military information was not independently verifiable.
The counter-offensive at Robotyne in the Zaporizhia region is continuing, and the positions that have been reached are being expanded. The deployment of Russian artillery and air force was reported from all sectors of the front.
US military: No evidence of missile launch
11:19 p.m.: According to the US military, there is currently no evidence that the Prigozhin machine was shot down by a missile. A spokesman for the Department of Defense did not give the press any details. The Reuters news agency previously learned from two insiders that a corresponding hit was considered likely. A third US official said there were a number of theories and no definitive conclusions.
US military: Train Ukrainians on F-16s from October
9:42 p.m.: According to the United States, it will begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in October. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense says English classes will take place first in the coming month. The flight training will then be carried out in the state of Arizona. Several pilots and dozens of maintenance crews are expected to take part in the training.
