F-16 training has begun, Kyiv says – DW – 08/20/2023

A Ukrainian drone hit a target in the Russian city of Kursk early Sunday, a regional governor said.

“According to preliminary information, it fell on the roof of the railway station, after which a fire broke out on the roof,” said Kursk Governor Roman Starovoyt on Telegram.

He said five people were slightly injured by glass fragments.

Kursk is about 90 kilometers (50 miles) from Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Kyiv has rarely claimed responsibility for attacks on Russian soil

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the “extremely evil” Russian missile attack on Chernihiv in his evening speech on Saturday.

The attack killed seven people and injured 144 others.

“Among them is a girl, her name was Sofia, she was six years old,” he said.

He also noted that Saturday is the Feast of the Transfiguration, an Orthodox holiday.

“I am sure: our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack,” Zelenskyy said. “Answer truthfully.”

Training for Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets is underway, officials reiterated Saturday.

“The training has started,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Ukrainian TV channel 24 Kanal, without specifying the location.

He said pilots receive at least six months of training, but he could not say how long engineers and mechanics would be trained.

“So, to create reasonable expectations, keep a minimum of six months in mind, but don’t be disappointed if it’s longer,” he said.

The training also includes technical language, because most of the pilots’ basic understanding of English is not enough to operate the jets.

The American-made jets are to be delivered to Denmark and the Netherlands, and on Thursday greenlit deliveries to Washington will take place as soon as pilot training is completed.

zc/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)