52 minutes ago
Slovakia to send 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine
Two Polish MiG-29s at an airbase in Malbork, Poland, in this August 2021 file photo.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | fake images
Slovakia’s government has approved a measure to send its Soviet-era MiG jets to Ukraine, officials said. The planes are in varying states of readiness and were retired last summer, so they will likely need substantial maintenance to be operational.
The Eastern European NATO member announced it would send 13 of the planes to Ukraine, a day after Poland said it would supply Kiev with four of its planes. Ukraine has long requested fighter jets to protect its skies against Russian attacks and combat Russian forces in the country.
“#Slovak government just approved shipment 13 #MiG29s to #Ukraine! Promises must be kept and when zelenskyyua asked for more #weapons including fighter jets, I said that we will do our best. Glad others are doing the same,” Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger wrote on Twitter.
The NATO allies’ concession to Kiev’s request more than a year into the war signals a significant shift in their willingness to send Ukraine advanced weaponry that could further provoke Russia and give Ukrainian forces a major advantage. in the fight.
—Natasha Turak
An hour ago
Russian and Wagner Group forces gain ground in Bakhmut but broader offensive slowing: UK Ministry of Defense
Russian and Wagner Group forces have gained ground in the besieged town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where brutal fighting has continued for months, the British Defense Ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update.
“In recent days, Russian and Wagner Group forces have gained a foothold west of the Bakhmutka River in the center of the disputed Donbas town of Bakhmut. For the previous week, the river had marked the front line. The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to defend the west of the village,” the ministry wrote on Twitter.
However, he added, “more broadly on the front lines, Russia is conducting some of the lowest rates of homegrown offensive action seen since at least January 2023.”
That is likely because “Russian forces have temporarily depleted the combat power of deployed formations to such an extent that even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable,” and Russian leaders “will likely seek to regenerate the offensive potential of the force once personnel and ammunition stocks are replenished,” he said.
—Natasha Turak
2 hours ago
China’s Xi will visit Russia next week in his first visit since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine
21 hours ago
Poland will send 4 MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine in the next few days, says the president
An army MiG-29 aircraft displayed at the Geilenkirchen AWACS E-3A Component aircraft presentation and the 1931 and 1933 F-16 and MiG-29 aircraft.
Darek Majewski | Rooster Images | fake images
Poland will send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days, the president said on Thursday, becoming the first of kyiv’s allies to provide such a plane.
Warsaw, one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, has taken a leading role in persuading sometimes wavering allies to provide Kiev with heavy weaponry. He has said that any transfer of planes would be as part of a coalition.
“First of all, literally in the next few days, we will deliver, as I recall, four fully operational aircraft to Ukraine,” Andrzej Duda told a news conference.
“The rest is being prepared, repaired.”
On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said deliveries could take four to six weeks. Duda said that Poland had approximately 10-20 MiG 29 aircraft.
NATO allies in the former communist east, such as Poland and Slovakia, have been particularly supportive of kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Slovakia has also been considering sending MiG-29 jets to Ukraine, but has not made a decision yet. Poland has sent 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Asked last week how many MiG-29 jets Warsaw could supply, the head of the president’s office, Pawel Szrot, said “certainly not” it would be as many as 14.
—Reuters
13 hours ago
Zelenskyy calls for court to punish Russia for alleged war crimes
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Kiev is preparing its soldiers for counteroffensives and praised the soldiers for defending the country despite the “crazy pressure” Russian forces have been putting on them.
julian de rosa | Pool | Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again called for a court to punish Russia for war crimes that were allegedly committed over a year after its invasion of Ukraine.
“The day will come and a court will be created that will restore justice to our people. A court that will punish this abuser the same way abusers of the past have been punished,” he said in a late-night speech, according to a translation from NBC News. .
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is “mobilizing all necessary partners for this.”
A UN-backed investigation accused Russia of war crimes, including torture and attacks against civilians.
Russia has previously said it does not target civilians.
—Jacob Pramuk
14 hours ago
Blinken says it’s ‘imperative’ Russia allows Black Sea grain deal to continue
US Secretary of State Blinken attends the Freedom of Expression Roundtable, in New York, United States, on September 19, 2022.
craig ruttle | Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was “imperative” that Russia allow the deal that reopened key Ukrainian ports to go ahead.
Speaking during a trip to Niger, the top US diplomat said the Black Sea Grains Initiative has helped alleviate food insecurity caused by the war and the Russian naval blockade, which delayed critical Ukrainian agricultural exports to the world.
“So millions of people around the world and especially here in Africa, rely on this initiative to help deal with food insecurity. It is imperative that it continue, and it is imperative that Russia allow it to continue,” she said, according to NBC News.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are holding talks on the extension of the agreement.
—Jacob Pramuk
2 hours ago
