Ukraine to Get Its First F-16 Jets in June-July

FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Ukraine to Get Its First F-16 Jets in June-July

FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of an F-16, on the day of a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

Kyiv expects to receive its first F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies in June-July, a high-ranking Ukrainian military source said on Friday.

Ukraine has sought US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia's air superiority for more than two years of war. The source did not say which country would supply the jets.

So far, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Illya Yevlash, spokesperson for the air force, said this week that some Ukrainian pilots were completing their training to fly the warplanes.

The Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets as it has fought to hold back Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion.

With Russian forces slowly advancing in the eastern Donbas region and mounting a fresh assault in the northeast near the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials see the addition of the F-16 as a vital upgrade for its Air Force.



Iran Working to Control Oil Spill off Kharg Island, Says IRNA

A veiled Iranian woman walks past a mural in a street in Tehran, Iran, 07 October 2024. (EPA)
A veiled Iranian woman walks past a mural in a street in Tehran, Iran, 07 October 2024. (EPA)
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Iran Working to Control Oil Spill off Kharg Island, Says IRNA

A veiled Iranian woman walks past a mural in a street in Tehran, Iran, 07 October 2024. (EPA)
A veiled Iranian woman walks past a mural in a street in Tehran, Iran, 07 October 2024. (EPA)

Iranian authorities are working to control an oil spill four miles (6.4 kilometers) off Iran's Kharg Island, the country's IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

The leak from oil pipelines was reported on Sunday and the required actions have been taken, IRNA cited a local official as saying.

"Two other spots have been identified by drones", IRNA said, adding that procedures had been activated to stop the pollution spreading and the situation was being continuously assessed.

Iran is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with production of around 3.2 million barrels per day, or about 3% of global output.

Most of Iran's oil and gas is in the south of the country, where the Kharg Island terminal is situated and from which around 90% of Iranian oil exports are shipped.