France has announced plans to advance the delivery of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine by early next year. This development comes at a time when Russian forces are attempting invasions of cities still under Kyiv control in the Donetsk region, with the city of Kharkiv suffering an air attack leaving at least 28 civilians wounded.
Focusing on the implementation of Mirage 2000 in the Ukrainian front, France’s Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed on social media that the assortment of new equipment including aerial-ground combat features and defence systems against electronic warfare would accompany the jets. The preparation and training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics remain ongoing, though the quantity of Mirage 2000s outlined for Ukraine remains undisclosed.
Simultaneously, Ukraine is progressively receiving US-produced F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands. Despite facing numerous delays relating to decision-making, training and delivery, Kyiv is still hopeful of receiving a significant quantity of F-16s to combat Russia’s stronger and heavier armed invasion forces.
In the eastern region of Donetsk, Russian troops have drawn their attention to a small city known as Toretsk, nearly a week after the capture of the strategic city of Vuhledar. Toretsk, roughly 100km north of Vuhledar and 30km from Bakhmut – a city previously decimated and then occupied by Russian forces – is the current frontline of the conflict.
In the words of Ukrainian Military Spokeswoman, Anastasia Bobovnikova, the situation in Toretsk is extremely volatile, with disputes erupting over even the most minor territorial claims. According to her, although Russian forces have initiated their entry into the eastern fringes of the city, territorial control oscillates between the two sides.
In their bid to halt the continual air attacks by the enemy on their troops, towns, cities, and crucial facilities, Ukraine is in dire need of western-supplied fighter jets and clearance to use western-donated missiles for deeper penetration into Russian territories.
Representatives from Kharkiv, the secondary city in Ukraine, reported that a missile attack wounded at least 28 civilians on Tuesday. Additionally, due to severe bombardment, residents of two more communities near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region were alerted to evacuate.
Last Monday, Russia launched an attack on Odesa, a port on the Black Sea, causing severe damage to a cargo ship registered overseas. The assault resulted in the death of a Ukrainian worker and injuries to multiple foreign crew members, according to local authorities.
Simultaneously, Kim Yong-hyun, the South Korean defence minister, indicated a high probability of six North Korean officials being killed in a Ukrainian missile assault near Donetsk the previous week, based on reports originating from Kyiv news outlets.
Despite accusations from both Kyiv and the US of delivering substantial amounts of missiles and artillery shells to Moscow for use in Ukraine, Pyongyang has refuted such claims.
Kim stated that the diplomatic relations between Russia and North Korea are developing to a point where they are almost on par with a military alliance.