Ukraine war latest: Western-supplied F-16s destroy Putin’s missiles as Kiev ‘advances toward Kursk’

Kiev claims that Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets were used to shoot down Russian missiles during Vladimir Putin’s massive air campaign.

Russia launched attacks on 15 of Ukraine’s 24 states on Monday, launching more than 200 missiles and drones in the largest airstrike ever against Ukraine.

Zelensky said the aircraft, donated by Denmark earlier this year, had “worked very well” but urged Western countries to provide more of them.

Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down a Russian Su-25 jet in the Donetsk region.

When the plane tried to fire at Ukrainian troops, air defense forces reportedly shot it down using a man-portable air defense system.

The Ukrainian brigade that claimed responsibility for downing the jet said in a Telegram post: “The fate of the crew is still unknown, but we are sure that this will be one less trouble for our infantry.”

The United Nations nuclear watchdog says flights between Russia and Ukraine have left a nuclear power plant in western Russia vulnerable because it lacks a shield that could protect it from a missile attack.

“There is already a danger or possibility of a nuclear accident in the vicinity,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said during a visit to the Kursk nuclear power plant outside the town of Kurchatov.

He said the nuclear facility was similar to Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant and lacked the containment and protective structures of a modern nuclear power plant.

“This means that the reactor core containing the nuclear material is protected only by an ordinary roof. This makes it extremely exposed and vulnerable, for example, to artillery fire, drones or missile attacks,” Mr Grossi said.

“So we consider the construction of such a nuclear power plant so close to a contact point or military front line to be an extremely serious fact and we take it very seriously.”

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg will convene a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting today at the request of Kiev, a NATO spokesman said.

“The meeting will be held at the ambassadorial level,” spokesman Farah Dahlala said.

She added: “Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to brief allied forces via video link on battlefield conditions and priority capability requirements.”

The NATO-Ukraine Council was established last year to foster closer coordination between NATO and Kyiv.

The council meetings are typically attended by NATO member ambassadors and Ukrainian officials.

“The meeting took place in the wake of recent waves of intense Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure,” Ms. Dahlala said in an emailed statement.

She added: “NATO allies provide substantial support to Ukraine’s air defences and are committed to further strengthening Ukraine’s defences.”

Ukraine has captured 594 Russian soldiers during a three-week military operation in the Kursk region and now controls 100 settlements in Russia, according to the country’s commander-in-chief.

Gen. Oleksandr Serskiy said yesterday that Ukrainian troops control 1,294 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory.

He said Moscow had deployed 30,000 troops to strengthen defenses in the border area and encircle Ukrainian forces to prevent further attacks.

Reuters British security consultant Ryan Evans has been identified as the man killed in a missile attack on the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday.

Evans has extensive experience advising journalists on security in conflict zones such as Ukraine and Israel. He also covered the Paris Olympics.

Previously, he worked as an operations manager for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Libya for nine years. According to his LinkedIn profile, Evans is from Cheshire, England.

My colleagues Marusha Muzaffar More in this report:

According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Ukraine has so far invested $7 billion in domestic weapons procurement in 2024.

The spending is focused on drones, robotics and electronic warfare systems, which “are already producing tangible results on the battlefield,” he said at the Ukraine 2024 Independence event in Kiev.

“One of our top priorities is long-term planning; we are creating a Wehrmacht model based on NATO standards, implementing digital solutions and modernizing the army,” Umerov said.

“We are also deepening cooperation with our allies in the Ramstein format (Ukrainian Defense Contact Group). The key task is to obtain permission to use (Western) long-range weapons to strike Russian targets.”

Zelensky warned that “the Olympics are over, but the table tennis goes on,” and he urged Western allies to allow Kiev to push deeper into Russian territory to strike at military infrastructure that is launching attacks on Ukraine.

Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones into Ukraine for a second day on Tuesday, with Ukraine’s president saying some were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets before reaching their targets.

The attack killed at least five people and destroyed a hotel, homes and residential buildings as well as vital infrastructure in several parts of Ukraine. Kiev and other cities suffered power outages amid scorching heat.

As is often the case in Ukrainian military statements following Russian bombings, the Ukrainian military listed the Russian regions and occupied territories from where the weapons were fired.

“(Allies) try not to talk to me about it. But I keep bringing it up. That’s the general idea. The Olympics are over, but table tennis goes on,” Zelensky said.