France announced on Thursday that it has delivered its first Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine, increasing Kiev's ability to defend its airspace from relentless Russian bombing.
"The first aircraft of this type have arrived in Ukraine today," French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in an article in X on Thursday.
He did not say how many French fighter jets were sent to Ukraine.
"With Ukrainian pilots on board, after they trained for several months in France, these aircraft will help protect the skies over Ukraine," he added.
Paris had announced that it would deliver Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine in early 2025. These aircraft are armed with air-to-surface missiles and electronic warfare countermeasures.
Ukraine has long sought modern fighter jets from Western countries, particularly F-16s and Mirages. In 2023, several allied countries agreed to donate F-16s to Ukraine with the consent of the United States. The first F-16s were delivered to Kiev in August 2024.
"This is another step towards strengthening Ukraine's security," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the aircraft's arrival.
"With the arrival of these aircraft, we are continuing to expand our F-16 fleet, with the Netherlands fulfilling its promises to support this effort," he added.
Ukraine is struggling to repel Russia's relentless air strikes and halt the Russian military's advance on the front line, ahead of the third anniversary of the war on February 24.
At the same time, Kiev has taken offensives where it can to strengthen its position, at a time when the West is trying to restart talks on a ceasefire and a possible peace agreement.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that it carried out a drone strike overnight on the Primorsko-Akhtarsk air base in Russia's Krasnodar region.
According to Ukrainian military officials, this base served as a key point for storing, preparing, and launching Shahed drones, as well as for maintaining aircraft supporting Russian operations in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine.
Russian channels on Telegram and residents of the city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk reported the drone attack, while videos shared online showed fire near the airfield.
Footage taken by internet users of the drone attack in Krasnodar was verified by Radio Free Europe.
The head of the district confirmed that air defense systems were activated to protect against drones.
At the same time, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 28 Ukrainian drones overnight – 13 over the Sea of Azov, eight over the Rostov region, six over Krasnodar Krai and one over Astrakhan.
In another incident, three people were allegedly killed by a Ukrainian drone strike inside Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram that the incident occurred near the village of Logachiovka, which has been declared a restricted area due to the ongoing threat from drone attacks since late October 2022. (A2 Televizion)
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