Russia thwarted, this Monday morning, August 21, two new attacks by Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region, which did not cause any casualties, announced the Russian Ministry of Defense.
On Monday around 6:50 a.m. local time (5:50 a.m. in France), an attempt by kyiv to carry out “a terrorist attack (by means of an) unmanned aerial vehicle […] was foiled,” the ministry said on the social network Telegram. Detected by air defense in the Moscow region, the device was “neutralized by means of electronic warfare” and then “crashed near the village of Pokrovskoye, in the district of Odintsovo”, southwest of the capital, added the Russian Defense. Another “terrorist attack of the Kiev regime” was foiled at 08:16 (07:16 in France), the Russian air defense having shot down a drone in the Istra district, also in the Moscow region, northwest of the Russian capital, according to the same source.
According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, following the incidents, Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports temporarily imposed restrictions on departures and arrivals and redirected several flights to other locations.
One dead in shelling in Kozatske
A man died Sunday August 20 following a bombardment on the city of Kozatske, in the region of Kherson, in the south of Ukraine. “Around 3:30 p.m. the (Russian) occupiers dropped two explosive devices from a drone on a man walking down the street,” Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram. “The 33-year-old local resident died at the scene from his injuries,” he added.
Earlier in the afternoon, a Russian tank fire on a residential building in Kozatske injured two people. According to Oleksandr Prokudin, it is “a 60-year-old woman whose vital prognosis is engaged” and “a 45-year-old woman injured by multiple shrapnel”, who was hospitalized.
Zelensky welcomes promised delivery of 61 F-16 aircraft
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday evening hailed the “historic” decision by the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver a total of 61 American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, two days after the American green light on the subject.
“Our fighters will receive 42 super fighter planes” from the Netherlands, wrote the Ukrainian head of state on X (ex-Twitter), thanking the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. These 42 aircraft are in addition to the 19 announced by Denmark. The latter and the Netherlands have agreed to deliver F-16s to kyiv once the Ukrainian pilots have been trained.
Volodymyr Zelensky visited a Danish air force base in Skrydstrup in the southern Nordic country on Sunday afternoon. The head of state, who landed around 4:30 p.m., was welcomed in the afternoon by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. Princess Mary of Denmark was also present.
During this visit, they examined F-16s and took stock of the start of training for Ukrainian pilots, said the office of the Danish Prime Minister. “We know you need more (military equipment) and that’s […] why we are going to donate 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine”, announced Mette Frederiksen during a press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart.
“I am proud that Denmark and the Netherlands are donating F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine’s freedom struggle against Russia and its meaningless aggression,” Jakob Ellemann said. -Jensen on Sunday in a statement.
These planes will be delivered gradually to kyiv: six towards the end of the year, eight next year and five the following year, said the head of the Danish government. “This is very powerful support for us,” Volodymyr Zelensky said at the press conference, stressing that the training of Ukrainian pilots and engineers had already started in Denmark.
Zelensky on an air force base in the Netherlands
A few hours earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky was this time at a Dutch air force base in Eindhoven, where Prime Minister Mark Rutte formalized the delivery of F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine. A “historic” decision, hailed the Ukrainian president.
Volodymyr Zelensky had landed around 12 p.m., according to a Dutch government spokeswoman. “With the First Lady and the team, we arrived in the Netherlands,” confirmed the Ukrainian head of state on his Telegram account. “This is absolutely historic, powerful and motivating for us. This is another step towards strengthening Ukraine’s air shield,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on the spot.