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F-16 Fighter Jets Pilots Down 10 Air Targets During Russian Attack, Zelenskyy Confirms

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Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
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Tetiana_frolova
Tetiana Frolova
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F-16 Fighter Jets Pilots Down 10 Air Targets During Russian Attack, Zelenskyy Confirms
The first F-16 Fighting Falcons received by Ukraine are showcased during the Ukrainian Air Force Day event on August 4, 2024, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukrainian pilots operating F-16 fighter jets successfully downed 10 air targets during a large-scale attack launched by Russia on November 17, 2024. In total, Ukraine’s air defense forces destroyed 144 targets, as confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement on his Telegram channel.

According to the President, over the past week, Russia launched nearly 140 missiles of various types, over 900 guided aerial bombs, and more than 600 strike drones at Ukraine. The Ukrainian air defense systems, including the F-16s, played a key role in countering this assault.

Currently, efforts are ongoing to mitigate the damage caused by a combined attack on infrastructure in the Rivne, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Volyn, and Odesa regions.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia’s aim was once again to instill fear by targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, specifically power generation facilities, including thermal power stations (TPS) and electricity transmission systems. He also noted that emergency power outages were implemented across Ukraine, with Odesa facing the most severe situation.

The attack on November 17 marked Russia’s first such assault in nearly three months. Russian forces launched 120 missiles and 90 drones during this offensive. Ukrainian air defense forces neutralized a significant number of these threats, but there were confirmed hits on infrastructure in multiple regions, including Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Volyn, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Poltava, and others. The attack resulted in casualties and injuries.

In his remarks, Zelenskyy reaffirmed the need for global unity in countering what he described as the “absolute evil” embodied by Russia’s actions. “The world sees and knows that we are defending ourselves against this threat, which understands no language other than strength. Unity is crucial for us, and for the world,” he stated.

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