LIVETEXT War in Ukraine, Day 792 | The Russians Launched 13 Missiles and 56 Airstrikes in the Last Day

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook message on Thursday that the Russians have lost about 462,980 soldiers in combat since the February 24 full-scale invasion.

The number of Russian soldiers killed in the fighting in Ukraine is 1,040 more than the previous day, according to the balance communicated by the Ukrainian army.

Also, according to the Ukrainians, the Russian army lost 7,255 tanks, 13,942 armored vehicles, 11,836 artillery systems, 348 aircraft, 325 helicopters and 9,449 drones.

Four Ukrainians, who have experience flying civil aircraft or training on L39 trainer aircraft, have started training in France to fly F-16 fighter jets, BFMTV reports.

“Ukrainian airmen will study the same as French air force pilots, but in half the time. The training will take place on the simulators as well as the Alpha Jets, which have been decommissioned and replaced by the new Pilatus PC-21s. Student pilots will be required to fly 80 hours before beginning F-16 training,” the message said.

According to French journalists, Ukrainian pilots are on average 20-22 years old, because “experienced pilots stayed in Ukraine and operate aircraft in the Air Force.”

The Alpha Jet is a two-seat aircraft designed for pilot training in France and Germany.

After this training period, which lasts about six months, the pilots will continue their training on the F-16 in the United States or in one of the European countries. Technical teams, including mechanics, will be trained in the US.

According to experts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the ATACMS missiles supplied to Ukraine by the United States can weaken Russian logistics and threaten airfields and warehouses of the Russian Federation.

However, for Ukraine, they will have operational significance only if these strikes are backed up by ground operations.

“The situation on the battlefield will continue to deteriorate until Ukrainian forces are able to acquire and deploy sufficient military equipment, and in the short term, Ukrainian forces will continue to have difficulty defending against Russian forces near Chasovoy Yar and northwest of Avdiyivka,” the report said.

Experts point out that the arrival of ATACMS missiles in sufficient numbers will allow Ukrainian forces to weaken Russian logistics and threaten Russian airfields deep in the rear, although the months of delay would have given the Russian military time to neutralize the potential operational consequences that the long-range missiles may produce of action sent by the US.

In addition, ATACMS long-range missiles could also pose a significant threat to Russian ammunition depots in rear areas and force the Russian command to choose between consolidating existing depots and further dispersing depots in occupied Ukraine .

Russian forces may have already adjusted to potential new Ukrainian strike capabilities following the ATACMS deployment in October 2023, although it remains unclear whether the occupiers’ ammunition depots are sufficiently fortified or dispersed.

In the last 24 hours, there were 104 combat clashes, the Russians launched a total of 13 missiles and 56 airstrikes, they hit the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas 105 times with anti-aircraft missiles, the General Staff of the Army reported Ukrainian.

The most confrontations on the front took place in the direction of Avdiivka, 27 and in the area of ​​Bahmut, 25.

The United States has been secretly sending long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its fight against invading Russian troops in recent weeks, and Kiev used them for the first time last week, a US official was quoted as saying on Wednesday. by Reuters.

The missiles were included in a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine approved by US President Joe Biden on March 12.

More details: US secretly sent ATACMS long-range missiles to Kiev on Biden’s orders, and Ukrainians have already attacked with them, Reuters reveals

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