UKRAINE has used F-16 fighter jets for the first time in the war.
Commanders scrambled F-16 Fighting Falcons to intercept Russian rockets and drones during two days of devastating bombardments.
Cover ImagesZelensky unveiled Ukrain’es new F-16s earlier this month[/caption]
Cover ImagesThe Ukrainian President revealed the country’s two F-16s[/caption]
The jets soared into battle as Moscow unleashed more than 300 missiles and drones, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Iranian Shahed one-way attack drones and submarine launched Kalibr cruise missiles.
The Russian attacks since Sunday were one of the biggest bombardments of the war and caused “significant damage” to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky revealed: “We shot down some missiles with the help of F-16s.”
On Tuesday Ukraine’s Armed Forces said they downed five cruise missiles and 60 attack drones out of 91 that were fired.
Zelensky repeated his appeal to allies including Britain to lift long-standing bans on hitting back at Russia with Western weapons.
He said: “There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine while Russia uses all kinds of its own weapons, as well as Shahed drones and ballistic missiles from North Korea.
“The US, UK, France and other partners have the power to help us stop terror. We need decisions.”
Britain donated bunker-busting Storm Shadow missiles which Ukraine has modified to fire from its Soviet-era aircraft.
They have been used to blitz high-value targets, including a Russian submarine and its Navy headquarters in occupied Crimea.
But Ukraine is banned from firing them into sovereign Russian territory because of limits imposed by the US.
France has also donated its identical Scalp cruise missiles.
But they both rely on US technology and cannot be fired at sovereign Russian targets without a green light from Washington.
Britain has backed Ukraine’s campaign of hitting Russian airfields and ammunition storage sites deep inside Russian territory.
Denmark and the Netherlands delivered the first F-16s earlier this summer.
Together with Norway and Belgium they have pledged to send over 90 of the US-designed jets.
It comes as Ukraine turned the tables on Russia with its stunning cross-border blitz into Kursk.
Why are F-16s so important
F-16s are fourth generation fighter planes – the second most advanced type used by the West.
Also known as the Fighting Falcon or Viper, the multi-role planes are the most popular fighter jet in the world – with nearly 4,500 deployed.
The planes can hit speeds of Mach 2 – around 1,350mph – and can carry 17,000lbs worth of missiles and bombs.
Alongside their devastating 10mm Vulcan rotary cannons, the planes can be equipped with weapons such as Sidewinder and Maverick missiles as well as Paveway bombs.
Retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton previously said the fighter planes would be a “game changer” for Ukraine.
“Its really versatile and can be used in many different ways,” he told CNN.
“And it’s also an aircraft that can potentially use its electronic jamming capability to go after some of the Russian radars.
“It’s a very important aircraft, it’s probably the best aircraft for all the different capabilities the Ukrainians could want, and its probably the only aircraft that has all those in one package.”
Its troops have captured some 500 square miles – an area the size of the Brecon Beacons – and more than 100 Russian settlements since the surprise attack launched on Aug 6.
Zelensky said the assault was part of a plan to end the war.
His troops have captured almost 600 Russian prisoners of war and already traded 115 for their own countrymen in Russian captivity.
Zelensky said: “We have a plan to compel Russia to end the war diplomatically.
“The war will inevitably end in dialogue but we need to enter that dialogue from a position of strength.”
He vowed to share the details with President Biden, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in September.
President Putin had earlier claimed that Ukraine wanted Kursk as a bargaining chip in future peace talks.
ReutersRescuers stand at a site of a Russian missile strike on the Aurora Hotel in Kryvyi Rih[/caption]
EPAUkrainian rescuers working at the site of the rocket strike[/caption]
Meanwhile, Russian troops have continued to blast their way forwards in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas and remain on the cusp of a strategic breakthrough.
They are just 10km east of Pokrovsk, a gateway town that Ukraine needs to resupply troops across the Donbas frontline.
But there are fears of a nuclear catastrophe in Russia as fighting rages on near a power plant with Ukraine continuing to surge.
The chief of the United Nations‘ nuclear agency on Tuesday flew into Kursk to inspect the site, which is located about 25 miles from the heat of battle.
The Ukrainians have seized 100 towns, and claim to have taken 500 square miles of Russian territory since launching the invasion three weeks ago.
Now they are even attempting to launch a second cross-border blitz into nearby Belgorod, according to reports.
But while the West applauds Kyiv’s brave offensive taking the fight to Putin, there are mounting concerns over the plant in the west of Kursk.
International Atomic Energy Agency boss Rafael Grossi warned there is a “danger or possibility of a nuclear accident” that could cause “serious consequences”.
He told reporters on Tuesday: “We see the plant still operating, but at the same time, the fact that the plant is operating may get even more serious in terms of an eventual action against it.
“When a plant is operating, the temperature is much higher, and if there was the case of an impact or something that could affect it, there would be serious consequences.”
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