Belgium will deliver three F-16 fighters to Ukraine by the end of this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
"We have reached an important agreement with Belgium on the delivery of three F-16 fighters by the end of this year", Zelensky wrote in Aix and added: "We will work to receive these fighters under the accelerated procedure".
The Ukrainian president added that Ukraine has already received "urgent deliveries" of ammunition for F-16 fighters from Belgium, Spain and other countries.
Ukrainian air defense neutralized three Russian missiles and 106 drones in a massive attack on the country that began yesterday, Ukrinform reported.
According to the Ukrainian side, the attack began yesterday at around 6:00 p.m. Russia used one Zircon/Onyx anti-ship missile, two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles and 152 strike drones, including Shahed and Gerbera, as well as Parody-type decoy drones. Of the total number of drones, 82 were jet.
The missiles were launched from the Russian Kursk region, and the drones - from the Orel, Millerovo, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk directions in Russia, as well as from the temporarily occupied Donetsk, Khvardiysk and Chauda in Crimea.
Ukrainian aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups participated in repelling the attack.
According to preliminary data, as of 08:00 today, a total of 109 air targets were shot down or suppressed - three missiles and 106 drones.
Ukrainian authorities reported hits in 24 locations, while debris from downed air targets fell on 16 others.
At the time of the report, the attack was ongoing, with several Russian drones still in Ukrainian airspace.
On the night of September 29, Russian forces attacked Kiev with missiles and drones, Ukrinform said.
Russia said it had struck two data centers in Kiev and cargo ships in the Black Sea and in Odessa on Monday. One was a cargo ship in the Black Sea that Russia says is linked to hostilities, and the other was a vessel carrying military cargo in the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the Russian Defense Ministry said, Reuters added.