Norway to donate F-16s to Ukraine, commandos attack Crimea

Norway to donate F-16 planes to Ukraine

Oslo has decided to donate combat aircraft to Ukraine, as reported by Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2. The channel did not cite its sources and did not specify how many F-16s would Oslo be providing Kyiv with.

The report came as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was visiting Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

If confirmed by Norwegian authorities, Norway would become the third country after the Netherlands and Denmark to announce similar donations of F-16 planes. 

Denmark said it will provide 19 of the fighter jets, while the Netherlands has not specified how many it will donate.

What Norwegian authorities confirmed on Thursday was the donation of anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, saying “air defence is critical to Ukraine’s ability to protect both the civilian population and front-line infrastructure and military units against any type of Russian air attack.”

“This is one of the largest Norwegian donations of military material to Ukraine to date,” Gahr Støre said in a statement.

Ukrainians celebrate Independence Day

Ukrainians are celebrating their country’s independence on Thursday while 18 months into a war against Russia, which invaded the country on 24 February 2022. 

In an address to the country, Zelenskyy said the national holiday was being held “at a time when we are fighting against the most dreadful threat to our statehood and at the same time when we have achieved the greatest national unity.”

The Ukrainian president warned citizens about the increased possibility of an attack from Russia on the day.

Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union until it dissolved in 1991.

Seven injured in air strike in Dnipro

Seven people were wounded in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to the governor of the region, Serhiy Lisak, in an early morning missile strikes that left no known victims. 

The governor said those injured were three men and four women.

Ukraine claims a deadly attack on Crimea

Ukraine said it carried out a commando operation overnight in Crimea, claiming to have killed Russian soldiers and hoisted the Ukrainian flag.

“The enemy suffered casualties among its men and equipment was destroyed. And the national flag flew again in Ukrainian Crimea,” the Ukrainian military intelligence said on Telegram on Thursday, as reported by AFP.

The post did not specify what mission these special forces units were involved in but said that they came from the sea, landing near the villages of Olenivka and Mayak, in the west of the peninsula, before leaving.

“All objectives and tasks have been accomplished. At the end of the special operation, the Ukrainian defenders left the scene without casualties,” the country’s military intelligence said.

Live updates on the death of Wagner’s head Yevgeny Prigozhin can be found here.