Ukraine's military updates: F-16 delivery plans, Su-34 takedowns, and Avdiivka situation

Ukraine is likely to receive the first batch of F-16 fighters by the end of this year, predict analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian forces reported the destruction of three Russian Su-34 bombers. The most challenging situation on the front remains in the Avdiivka area. Let's summarize the last week of fighting in Ukraine.

The Institute for War Studies (ISW) quoted the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who announced that his country would send eighteen F-16 fighters to Kyiv. Mark Rutte announced in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he provided this information in a telephone conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Although Rutte did not confirm the F-16 delivery date, the latest strategic document of the Estonian Ministry of Defense shows that the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium have committed to delivering F-16s to Ukraine by the end of this year"
reported ISW.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1738378141846888590

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he had spoken to Rutte. He also informed that during this telephone conversation, he thanked the Dutch government for the decision to start preparations for the transfer of the first F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

Downed Russian Su-34 Bombers

The Ukrainian Air Force boasted of shooting down three Russian Su-34 tactical bombers in quick succession. The machines were shot down towards the south, said the commander of this formation, Mykola Ołeszczuk. However, he did not reveal any details.

"The hunt for them took a long time. These planes posed a threat to our soldiers", revealed Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, providing a bit more information.

The Ukrainian portal nv.ua recalled that Su-34 bombers are carriers of guided aerial bombs and Kh-59 missiles, which the Russians use to attack Kherson Oblast and other regions in southern Ukraine.

Attacks Repelled in the Avdiivka area

The latest reports from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces show that the most difficult situation on the front remains in the Avdiivka area. Ukrainian soldiers repel dozens of enemy attacks here.

Well-known Kyiv military expert Yuri Butusov explained why fighting for the city located near occupied Donetsk is important.

Avdiivka is the only Ukrainian city that is currently directly attacked by Russia. It is an important node of the Donetsk agglomeration; maintaining Avdiivka allows Ukrainian forces to control several dozen kilometers of the front, and its possible loss will force our troops to withdraw to a significant distance, significantly improving the operational position of the occupiers in Donbas
wrote Butusov on Facebook.

The analyst also reported that additional units of Ukrainian soldiers were sent to the Avdiivka area. The decision of the commander of the land forces, Oleksandr Syrski, was made after more than two months of fierce fighting for this city, Butusov said.

Zelensky: there will be no change in strategy

Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press conference summarizing the past year, announced that Ukraine will not change its strategy aimed at liberating all territories occupied by Russians.

The Ukrainian leader noted that Kyiv “may change its tactics”.

According to our constitution, the strategy cannot be changed. These are all our territories. As for tactics, they can be changed after taking into account the results of our actions in southern Ukraine in 2023

Zelensky said in response to an AFP journalist's question about whether, given the “lack of breakthroughs on the front”, the authorities in Kyiv intend to change their strategy, including regaining the territories occupied by the Russians.

Reports of mobilization

During the conference, Zelensky also announced that the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Valery Zaluzhny) and the General Staff have made a proposal to mobilize 450-500 thousand people who will be sent to the front.

"This is a very serious number. I replied that I needed more arguments to support this direction because it was a matter of people, justice, defense capabilities, and finances"
Zelensky said.

Secretary of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov explained that mobilization “will not take place in the near future” and that soldiers who are currently fighting on the front line need rest.

“We should have additional forces, but this does not mean that their appointment should take place in a month or two. This is a vision for next year. What the final decision will be will be known after the approval of some regulatory and strategic documents that are currently in the development phase” - Danilov said.

The media in Kyiv reported on the Ministry of Defense's plans to mobilize Ukrainians living abroad. They referred to an interview that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov gave to the German press. Umerov allegedly said that next year, Ukrainians aged 25-60 living in Germany and other countries should report to military reinforcement commands - otherwise, they will be “punished”.

The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv explained that Umerov “calls on all Ukrainians to join the armed forces, but at the moment there is no question of a punishment mechanism or legal pressure on the men”.