2023-08-20 00:03:00
Day 543: Training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets has started. Kiev announces a military response after an attack in Chernihiv. All information in the news blog.
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After attack on theater: Selenskyj announces “clear answer”.
1:55 p.m.: According to Ukrainian sources, seven people were killed and 144 injured in the Russian airstrike on the historic city center of Chernihiv. Among the injured were 15 children and 15 police officers. “I am sure that our soldiers will give Russia an answer to this terrorist attack,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address at the end of a visit to Sweden. “A clear answer.”
Secretary of Defense: Training on F-16 fighter jets has begun
1.11 a.m.: The long process of training Ukrainian pilots on US F-16 fighter jets has begun. “To have reasonable expectations, you should plan at least six months,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with Kanal 24 host Andriana Kucher on Saturday. It is not yet known how long the training of engineers and mechanics will take. The training also includes technical language training, since the usual knowledge of English is not sufficient, said Resnikov. He did not want to give details about where and when the training takes place.
The United States gave the green light for the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the middle of the week. This will give the country, for the first time, a modern Western-style fighter aircraft to fight against the Russian invaders.
Ukraine’s foreign minister contradicts CIA: “Have faith”
8:18 p.m.: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has denied reports that Ukraine’s counter-offensive could fail. Kuleba told “Bild”: “We take such statements calmly. According to unnamed officials, generals and analysts, Ukraine should have ceased to exist in February 2022 within three to ten days. They now assume that Ukraine will not will be able to retake all of their territory so quickly. It shows that even doubters grow more hopeful over time.”
When the war began in February 2022, neither Western secret services nor the military expected Ukraine to be able to defend itself. Back then, it was said again and again that Kiev would fall. The Washington Post reported on Friday that the CIA no longer believed the counter-offensive would be successful. Kuleba told the paper “that the Americans have not seen such a level of warfare and firepower in Normandy.”
The Secretary of State, who has repeatedly praised the arms support from the United States and Europe, added: “What I’m saying is that analysts should be more careful with their forecasts and long-term forecasts. We don’t have to prove anything; our success will be reward the optimists and ruin the reputation of the doubters. However, what we need is more long-term skills to achieve more short-term results. Never underestimate Ukraine. Have faith. Be patient. Victory is hard work.”
Attack near Chernihiv: number of injured rises to 110
2:58 p.m.: After the Russian attack on Chernihiv, the number of injured rises to 110, the authorities said. At least seven people are believed to have died, including a six-year-old child, the Interior Ministry said earlier on Saturday. When a Russian cruise missile hit, the roof of a theater was also destroyed.
In addition to the theater, Russian forces also hit a university in the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video of the damaged university in Chernihiv on Saturday.
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