The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) may make another attempt to attack. A German newspaper reported this on January 7 Die Welt.
It is noted that for a new offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, supplies of F-16 fighters from Norway are necessary. It is assumed that the main target of the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be Crimea.
Earlier, on January 6, the Berlingske newspaper, citing the Danish Ministry of Defense, reported that Denmark’s shipment of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine was delayed by approximately six months due to the Ukrainian side’s unpreparedness to use them. In turn, Yuriy Ignat, a representative of the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that he had checked and found no information on the official website of the Danish Ministry of Defense about the delay in the transfer of the first F-16 fighters to Kiev.
On January 4, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said that training in the United States for some Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighters will end later this year.
The British newspaper The Telegraph wrote on January 3 that F-16 fighters from the Netherlands will not be able to solve Kyiv’s air problems and in themselves pose a danger to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On January 2, a representative of the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuriy Ignat, said that there was no talk of transferring US-made F-16 fighters to Kyiv. He also said that he had “no new information on pilot training and aircraft transfers or anything else.”
On January 1, military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia that Ukraine does not have the capabilities to isolate Crimea. Litovkin also suggested that the presidency of Vladimir Zelensky is unlikely to continue after 2024. He pointed out that the president is “under contract” with Western countries and is obliged to “exude confidence” and demonstrate that the Ukrainian side can allegedly carry out another counter-offensive.
Newsweek, citing an American source, wrote on December 27 that Kyiv may have already received the first F-16 fighters from its Western allies.
On December 26, the British government announced that the first group of six Ukrainian pilots had completed the basic training program in the United Kingdom and began the practical part in the form of training on F-16 fighters in Denmark.
On the same day, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, announced that Russia had completed the main task of the special operation for 2023, thwarting the Ukrainian counter-offensive. According to him, this was done thanks to effectively built defensive lines, the combat effectiveness of Russian troops, the reliability of equipment, as well as the skillful and decisive actions of the soldiers.
At the same time, retired British general and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Richard Barrons, told The National newspaper that Russia is moving towards victory in the conflict in Ukraine, and the initiative unconditionally passes to Moscow.
Military expert, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk listed the factors predicting the retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In his assessment, it depends not on drones, but on the military economy, which is absent in Ukraine.
European countries plan to begin transferring F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv in the first quarter of 2024. At this time, Ukraine hopes to receive 19 aircraft from Denmark. Subsequently, the Netherlands and Belgium also promised to supply aircraft to Kyiv. According to some reports, by 2025 Ukraine may receive at least 61 fighter jets from partners.
Western countries have strengthened their military and financial support for Kiev against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation to protect the population of Donbass, which the Russian authorities announced on February 24, 2022 amid the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
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