⚡️ In world first, Ukrainian F-16 pilot downs 6 cruise missiles in single mission, Air Force claims.
For the first time in the history of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a Ukrainian-operated jet shot down six Russian cruise missiles during a single mission in December, the Air Force claimed on Jan. 7.
For the first time in the history of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a Ukrainian-operated jet shot down six Russian cruise missiles during a single mission in December, including two with the aircraft cannon, the Air Force claimed on Jan. 7.
The interception reportedly took place during a mass Russian aerial strike on the morning of Dec. 13, 2024, which saw Russia deploy almost 200 drones and 94 missiles.
“For the first time in the history of the Fighting Falcon, an F-16 fighter jet destroyed six Russian cruise missiles in one combat mission,” the Air Force Command said on social media.
Ukraine has received a number of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, deploying them multiple times in air defense roles during Russian mass strikes on cities and infrastructure.
“They say that even Americans couldn’t believe you did it,” Air Force Command spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said in an interview with the pilot, whose identity was not revealed.
The aviator said that he approached a group of cruise missiles and, despite their electronic warfare countermeasures, managed to lock on to targets. The F-16 reportedly shot down one pair of Russian projectiles with medium-range missiles and then another pair with short-range missiles.
Ukrainian F-16s are equipped with four air-to-air medium-range and short-range missiles.
Without missiles and low on fuel, the pilot was then recalled from the area but spotted another missile heading toward Kyiv. He moved to intercept it and opened fire from his aircraft cannon against the projectile, which was flying over 650 kilometers per hour, a difficult and risky maneuver, the Air Force said.
“A few bursts from the cannon — and an explosion… then another one! ‘A secondary detonation,’ I thought, but, as it turned out, there were two missiles,” the pilot said, adding he did everything as taught by U.S. instructors.
According to the Air Force Command, Ukrainian pilots have learned how to shoot down missiles with aircraft cannons in simulators in the U.S. but have never attempted it during actual combat before.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The cost:
🏴 🕯️ He believed he was doing something important”: Volunteer and combat medic from Scotland killed in action in Ukraine
Jordan Maclachlan, 26, a volunteer combat medic from Scotland, has been killed in action on the front line. He had been fighting for Ukraine since 2022.
Details: Jordan was killed on Friday, 3 January while serving on the front line, the Guardian reports.
Quote: “Jordan always believed that he was making a difference and we are all so proud of him helping others,” his family said in a statement. “Jordan was a fun-loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and a friend to many and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”
The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time, the BBC reports.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting the family of a British man who had died in Ukraine and was in contact with local authorities.
Jordan Maclachlan is not the first British citizen to die in combat with Russian troops.
Other Britons who have died in Ukraine include Peter Fouché, who was killed in action in July 2024. Before the full-scale invasion he lived in London and worked as a carpenter. In March 2022, he left the safety of England and travelled to Ukraine.
In January last year, Peter took the oath of allegiance and officially joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a combat medic. The defender was survived by his 15-year-old daughter, Nicola. Peter had said that it was for her sake that he came to Ukraine.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
This Year Should Be as Productive in Ukraine’s EU Accession Negotiations as Required to Meet Ukraine’s Needs and, Therefore, Strengthen the Security of All Europe – Address by the President
7 January 2025 – 20:28
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
A lot of meetings were held today.
The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff – all available packages, as well as our needs. We are thoroughly preparing for Ramstein.
The report from the Foreign Intelligence Service – a lot of issues, our prospects.
Today, we also discussed some details of our engagement with the European Union – regarding the negotiation process. The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Government officials, and the Office team were present. This year should be as productive in Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations as required to meet Ukraine’s needs and, therefore, strengthen the security of all Europe. This year, the EU Presidency will be held first by Poland, and in the second half of the year by Denmark. They are very responsible partners of ours. From the Ukrainian side, we will ensure everything necessary to take the right steps.
And one more thing.
I spoke with the President of Switzerland. It is important for Ukraine that relations between our countries remain meaningful and focused on achieving peace as soon as possible. Ukraine is grateful to Switzerland for jointly organizing the first Peace Summit with us. And we value Switzerland’s willingness to help us now, both politically and organizationally, and we discussed with Madam President our communication with key partners. We are also preparing a bilateral meeting. And another component is that we can help stabilize Syria together. I proposed that Switzerland contribute to delivering food to Syria. Ukrainian food and financial participation of Switzerland – along with our other partners in this humanitarian program – is something that can help the Syrian people to establish a normal life after the war, and importantly, after Russia’s presence in Syria. Where Russia leaves ruins, we, together with the world, can restore normal life. I am confident that this will also be the case on our land. We definitely must defeat the occupier. I am grateful to everyone in the world who is helping Ukraine.
Glory to Ukraine!
The US:
U.S. Defense officials speaking to the Associated Press said the upcoming Ukraine aid package, scheduled to be announced on Jan. 9, will draw from existing stockpiles with the intent of delivering most of the pledged weapons to Kyiv before Trump takes office.
The Biden administration plans to unveil a significant final weapons aid package for Ukraine during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Germany on Jan. 9.
Austin is set to meet representatives from around 50 nations that have supported Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, two senior defense officials told the Associated Press.
While the officials did not specify the exact value of the aid, they described it as “substantial.” The package will not encompass the approximately $4 billion remaining in congressionally approved funding for Ukraine. However, they noted that “more than a couple of billion dollars” would likely be left for the incoming Trump administration to allocate if it chooses to do so.
According to one defense official, Biden administration officials handling Ukraine policy have been coordinating with Trump’s transition team to address “all the issues that we believe are important. ”
Austin’s trip to Ramstein Air Base will mark his final meeting with the coalition he formed in response to Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Over the course of the war, these nations have contributed more than $126 billion in military assistance, including ammunition, advanced fighter jets, air defense systems, counter-UAV technologies, and tanks. The U.S. has provided $66 billion of that total.
The upcoming aid package, scheduled to be announced on Jan. 9, will draw from existing stockpiles with the intent of delivering most of the pledged weapons to Ukraine before Trump takes office, one official said.
“Most” is doing a lot of work there.
Germany:
Rheinmetall has delivered the first KF41 Lynx IFV to Ukraine.
“It is currently being tested by the armed forces so that a series order can be placed as soon as possible” www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt…
🔴〰️400 people have been detained at #GeorgiaProtests, most administratively, with many fined or given short prison sentences.
44 were arrested under criminal charges, including a minor. They are in pre-trial detention and, if convicted, could spend several years in prison.
🧷 netgazeti.ge/life/756807/
Archimandrite Dorote (Dorotheos) and other clerics of Kvemo Betlemi Church went to Rustaveli after the Christmas vigil and performed a service for the regime prisoners. 1/2
Any priest siding with the people is a hero, and will be greatly valued in the new Georgia emerging – which, by the way, will by default trigger an inner cleansing process within the Church, and that is why the Church leadership supports the regime. #GeorgiaProtests #terrorinGeorgia 2/2.
The Georgian struggle for freedom is not just about Georgia – all emergent autocrats in Europe, and especially and enlargement area, have been watching and learning how to suffocate civic freedoms at least since the Foreign Agents law protests began in April.
⚡️Ukraine secures return of 3 children from Russian-occupied territories, ombudsman says.
One of the children, a 17-year-old boy, faced persecution by Russian occupation authorities for his pro-Ukrainian stance and assistance to the Ukrainian army, according to Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Three Ukrainian children — a 17-year-old boy and two younger boys — have been returned from Russian-occupied regions to Ukraine-controlled territory, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced on Jan. 7.
The 17-year-old faced persecution by Russian occupation authorities for his pro-Ukrainian stance and assistance to the Ukrainian army, according to Lubinets.
“He supported Ukraine under occupation and endured interrogations, threats, and intimidation from occupation representatives. Yet neither fear nor pressure broke his spirit,” Lubinets said.
The teenager is receiving humanitarian and financial support and preparing to continue his education in Ukraine.
The two younger boys were separated from their mother, who fled Ukraine due to the war. Left in occupied Donetsk Oblast with their biological father, the boys were evacuated with the assistance of Lubinets’ office and reunited with their mother.
“Today, this family is safe and beginning the journey to heal the wounds of war,” he said.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, almost 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia, according to the Children of War database. Fewer than 400 have been returned home.
Investigations by the Financial Times and The Guardian revealed systemic efforts by Russian authorities to re-educate illegally deported children and, in some cases, place them for adoption through government-linked platforms.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia, in March 2023.
The ICC wrote that it believes Putin “bears individual criminal responsibility” as the leader of Russia for the crimes committed against Ukrainian children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq2gEMhuDps
160 Ukrainians including human rights activists, MPs, diplomats, academics, artists, business associations and religious communities (Christian, Muslim and Jewish) published an open appeal to the world leaders and the international community “Do not appease evil”
eutoday.net/do-not-appea…
On January 5th, Ukrainian public figures published an open appeal to the world leaders and the international community, dedicated to the issues of ending the war in a just way and establishing a sustainable peace.
The document is signed by more than 160 persons, including human rights activists, MPs, diplomats, academics, famous artists, leaders of the largest business associations and various religious communities (Christian, Muslim and Jewish).
The appeal, entitled “Do not appease evil,” highlights the Ukrainian vision of Russia’s far-reaching subversive objectives, and depicts the positive and the negative scenarios of the war’s end that depend on the position of the world leaders and the international community.
The new year 2025 brings many uncertainties yet much hope to Ukraine and Europe as we try to find a straightforward solution to a complex problem: how to end the big war. As Ukrainian public figures and intellectuals, we address the world leaders and the international community in order to share our perspectives on the forthcoming challenges and expectations.
Above all, we would like to emphasize that acquiring additional territories is not Russia’s primary objective in this war. It already has vast undeveloped territories, and when it seizes a new land, this land is systematically neglected. Similarly, the objective is not merely to bring Ukraine back under its control. This is only one of the intermediate goals. Russia’s ultimate aim is to break the current world order.
It seeks to regain its status of a superpower that acts arbitrarily and, by the right of the stronger, attacks neighbors, interferes in the affairs of other countries, commits terrorist acts, supports authoritarian regimes and illegally armed groups around the world.
None of this is an isolated incident, a whim of Putin, or a temporary “deviation from normalcy.” It is a part of a strategic design. This is why, three years ago, Putin issued an ultimatum to the United States and its allies in Europe, demanding a return to the 1997 disposition.
Ukraine, by reason of its history and geography, has become the next target on the way to realization of these revanchist intentions.
For Ukraine itself, this war is existential: it is a war for survival of the Ukrainian nation, society, and state. Ukrainian democratic and Russian authoritarian-imperial political visions are essentially mutually exclusive. That means that any ‘freezing’ of the conflict at this or that demarcation line will not lead either to a relief of tensions or to the establishment of sustainable peace.
For Russia, such a freeze would primarily signal the weakness of the West and encourage further aggression and wars that spill the blood of Europeans and Americans. Sustainable peace will come only when, under the combined pressure of Ukraine and its allies, Russia faces a systemic crisis and the defeat of Putin’s regime. As proven by history, tyrannies are fragile.
This war is not confined to Ukraine, nor can the ‘Ukrainian question’ be solved exclusively within the framework of Russian-Ukrainian relations. If the world leaders demand concessions of the territories and sovereignty from Ukraine without providing any effective security guarantees, they will essentially bring about Ukraine’s defeat, which will signal to China and other revisionists that they can seize what they want.
North Korean troops will appear in different hot spots. Piracy, blocking of trade routes, attacks on information systems and global communications will sabotage global trade.
Longstanding efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons will be reduced to naught. Russian media influence, cyberattacks, covert operations, and election interference in democratic countries will undermine the world order. And the possible fall of Ukraine would create a large wave of refugees and open the way for Putin to advance farther westward.
On the other hand, an effective end of Russian aggression against Ukraine could be a solution to many problems of the democratic world. Russia’s defeat in its war of aggression against Ukraine would reestablish the order based on rules and interdependence of responsible players. The security of global trade, global nuclear energy, and food security will be strengthened. Terrorist regimes and organizations around the world will lose Russian support and weaken.
Today, Ukraine is buying time for the democratic world to unite and strengthen. But this time is not limitless. The forces defending peace, freedom, and human dignity must go on the offensive. Ukraine and the entire democratic world can only win together or give in and lose together. The illusion of peace at the cost of shame has repeatedly brought on a new war.
Much more at the link including the list of signatories and their affiliations.
The Kursk cross border offensive:
🇰🇵 🗡️ Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces kill group of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast – photos
⚡️Ukraine hits Russia’s infantry brigade command post in Kursk Oblast, military claims.
Ukrainian soldiers struck on Jan. 7 the command post of Russia’s 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade near the village of Belaya in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed.
“On January 7, 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a precision strike on the command post of the 810th Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces near the village of Bila (Kursk region).” – the General Staff said in a statement.
“The city is on fire, the enemy is intensifying its attacks. The Russian army is using its usual ‘scorched earth’ tactics.” – write the fighters of the “Predator” brigade.
Ukrainian border guards struck a Russian drone launch site in Vovchansk.
Reconnaissance-strike UAV teams from the “Hart” brigade delivered another series of fire strikes on enemy positions in Vovchansk and its surrounding areas.
The city of Pokrovsk, which once counted some 60,000 residents, now counts a mere 11,000 thousand, with Russian troops aiming to surround and occupy it while gradually turning the city into rubble.
BILOZERSKE, Donetsk Oblast — Less than 30 kilometers north of embattled Pokrovsk, a market was in full swing in the town of Bilozerske.
Meters away, however, a crowd has gathered in front of a building, nervously awaiting the doors to open. Tensions were visibly mounting as the doors remained closed and impatience settled. An umpteenth air raid siren reminded everyone about the never-ending threat from Russian drones and glide bombs in the area.
Nobody seemed to care about a potential attack. People were waiting for hours at the distribution point, seeking their turn to receive hygiene kits and water supplies. No one seemed to want to lose their place in the queue.
Anastasia Olekh, from the Caritas Mariupol non-government humanitarian organization, said that Bilozerske remains full of people in need, becoming a safe haven for those fleeting towns and villages closer to the front line.
“Prior to the full-scale invasion, there were around 15,000 people here. Since 2022, many have left, but we also saw an additional 5,000 displaced people coming from settlements of the Pokrovsk district directly under fire,” Olekh said.
The city of Pokrovsk, which once counted some 60,000 residents, now counts a mere 11,000 thousand, with Russian troops aiming to surround and occupy it while gradually turning the city into rubble.
“So far, Bilozerske has not been too affected by war, and its coal mine is still open, which means there is still work for civilians, but the living conditions are dire,” Olekh added.
Valentyna, a 65-year-old resident of Bilozerske, has chosen to stay in the town with her husband and their dog. Valentyna says she is aware of the danger, yet chooses, for now, to not leave because of the lack of funds and opportunities elsewhere.
“Compared to Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, or Pokrovsk, it is safer here as long as we are not being shelled,” she said.
“We know that when they (the Russians) will reach Pokrovsk, they will try to finish us off here as well. But we simply don’t have anywhere else to go,” she added.
Valentyna’s biggest fear is glide bombs, which Russia has been increasingly using in 2024.
“Since they have started to launch them, we no longer feel safe. Our air defense can shoot down missiles, but not glide bombs; those are just terrible; that’s why we are hoping for some kind of truce, through diplomatic channels, so that those bombs no longer fly,” she said.
Not far from Valentyna, Olena, 42, was also standing in the queue.
Olena used to work on a farm near Bilozerske, where she lives with her family. “I’m here with my 15-year-old daughter and my five-year-old son,” she said, adding that she also takes care of her mother with cancer, thus unable to leave the town.
“My main worry is my children, right now, they are cut out from the world,” she added.
Not far from the queue, local residents Svitlana and her husband were loading a month’s worth of water supplies in their car. The retired couple from Bilozerske had no intention of leaving. Over the deafening sound of sirens, Svitlana seemed annoyed even at the thought of evacuation, although theoretically, it is mandatory in the area.
“Look, my husband and I are both 72. We have lived in Bilozerske for the last 50 years. We got married here, our children grew up and were baptized here, what is the point of leaving? Obviously it is scary, but no, we will not be leaving,” she said.
Whether bound by financial constraints or memories of peaceful times at home, most civilians feel they have nowhere else to go, and while Bilozerske doesn’t – yet – lie directly in the combat zone, some, who have already relocated once, simply feel trapped here for lack of better options.
Anastasia came from Toretsk, which has seen some of the heaviest fighting since 2022. According to Ukraine’s military, the fighting is currently ongoing in the town’s streets.
“I’ve already moved once, a year ago, as the situation has become unbearable in Toretsk. Our flat has since been looted and then destroyed. I was already used to living in combat zone, so in comparison, things have been quiet here,” Anastasia said.
“Anyway, I can’t afford to move further away from the front line, you just have to look at the steep price rise for flats in Dnipro, in Poltava, for example, to understand why we stay here,” she added.
Much more at the link including pictures.
The Lyman front:
On the Lyman front, a heavily armoured Russian tank inexplicably ventured alone toward Ukrainian positions, only to be successfully demilitarised by drones and artillery from the 63rd Brigade. Perhaps the crew inside had something to atone for.
ending struggle filled with fear and uncertainty. We live in a city shrouded in shadows, constantly bracing for the next attack, constantly threatened.
For us, these lights aren’t just pretty decorations. They symbolize hope and the strength to keep going.
Not sure if people are aware, but in the second Georgia post (I am unable to call them “skeets”) the word “Archimandrite” is a title, not a name. In Eastern Rite Christianity it denotes a superior monastic priest (not all monks are priests, not many priests are monks.)
Knowing what I do about them, I don’t imagine the Russians are even one iota more humane toward children they take captive than adults. I hope those kids, and all the others who have been returned and those yet to be, are able to heal from such a horrific experience.
@KatKapCC:
Odd how the richest man in the world, who has much to say about children in other countries, can’t muster one second of concern for the kidnapped Ukrainian children.
funlady75
thank you Adam
Gin & Tonic
Not sure if people are aware, but in the second Georgia post (I am unable to call them “skeets”) the word “Archimandrite” is a title, not a name. In Eastern Rite Christianity it denotes a superior monastic priest (not all monks are priests, not many priests are monks.)
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
KatKapCC
Knowing what I do about them, I don’t imagine the Russians are even one iota more humane toward children they take captive than adults. I hope those kids, and all the others who have been returned and those yet to be, are able to heal from such a horrific experience.
Gin & Tonic
@KatKapCC:
Odd how the richest man in the world, who has much to say about children in other countries, can’t muster one second of concern for the kidnapped Ukrainian children.
KatKapCC
@Gin & Tonic: Quite a puzzle, indeed -_-
Adam L Silverman
@funlady75: You’re welcome.
Adam L Silverman
@AlaskaReader: You’re welcome.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
I hope the good people of the USA, & Canada are paying close attention to how the Georgians are dealing with would be dictators.
Could someone, anyone finally arrest the Starlink Snowflake? I am freaking tired of ketamine fuelled antics.
Thank you Adam, as always.🖖