A Ukrainian pilot on an F-16 shot down six Russian missiles in a single mission. Russia’s losses in the war against Ukraine have exceeded 800,000 soldiers, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, postponed his visit to Kyiv until after the inauguration.
Ukrainian pilot on F-16 shoots down six Russian missiles in single mission — Air Force
A Ukrainian pilot flying an F-16, during a massive attack carried out by the army of Russia, the aggressor country, in December 2024, marked a first in the history of the use of this fighter in destroying six enemy cruise missiles in a single combat mission.
This was reported by Yuriy Ignat, head of communications management of the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to him, this combat episode took place on December 13, 2024, when the Russian army carried out a new combined missile and drone attack on Ukrainian cities, including using 94 cruise missiles launched from air bases, maritime and land.
Ignat said the Ukrainian pilot of the F-16 managed to shoot down six cruise missiles, including two using the onboard gun.
The pilot explained that the enemy missiles were equipped with electronic warfare (EW) devices for personal protection.
“The F-16 viewfinder is very efficient. Once a target is locked on, even under the effect of electronic countermeasures, it remains visible on the onboard radar. I approached to an optimal distance, locked on the targets again, launched the missiles one by one and hit — both targets were destroyed! “, he said.
During this fight, the F-16 was equipped with four medium and short range air-to-air missiles. The pilot first used the longer-range missiles, then closed in on the targets up to a distance of two miles (about 3.2 km) to employ the short-range missiles with the greatest precision.
Ignat added that after these maneuvers, the pilot was ordered to go to a patrol area to allow his teammate on board an Su-27 to intervene on other enemy targets.
However, the pilot spotted a new enemy target in his path. With only the rapid-fire onboard cannon left on his F-16, he took the necessary measures.
“I did exactly what the American instructors had taught me and what I had practiced on the simulator. A few bursts from the cannon, an explosion… then another! A double detonation… that’s what I thought,” the officer said. However, according to the results of objective control, it turned out that two enemy missiles were shot down.
“They were flying in close formation, one next to the other,” the officer concluded.
Russia’s losses in the war against Ukraine exceeded 800,000 soldiers — General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The losses of Russian servicemen, killed and wounded, in the war against Ukraine exceeded 800,000 soldiers. Over the past day alone, Russian troops have lost 1,970 soldiers.
This was reported by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Tuesday, January 7.
The losses of the Russian army in military equipment amounted to:
- Tanks : 9 710 (+10),
- Armored combat vehicles: 20,189 (+25),
- Artillery systems: 21,710 (+45),
- Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS): 1,260 (+2),
- Air defense systems: 1,038 (+4),
- Planes: 369 (+0),
- Helicopters: 331 (+0),
- Tactical drones: 21,708 (+83),
- Cruise missiles: 3,014 (+0),
- Ships/boats: 28 (+0),
- Submarines: 1 (+0),
- Vehicles and tanks: 33,226 (+170),
- Special equipment: 3,681 (+0).
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), during Russia’s intense offensives in September, October, and November 2024, the Russians lost approximately 125,800 soldiers (killed and wounded) in exchange for the capture of 2,356 square kilometers of territory.
The month of December 2024 recorded the highest number of irreversible and health losses among Russia’s troops, with 48,670 soldiers in one month. This is also the highest figure since the start of the large-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian project “Khotchou naïty” (I want to find), stemming from the “Khotchou jyt’” (I want to live) program, collected information on 50,000 Russian soldiers missing in the war launched by the Kremlin in Ukraine . The total number of missing among the occupying forces, according to Ukrainian estimates, exceeds 100,000.
Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, postponed his visit to Kyiv until after Trump’s inauguration, according to media reports
US President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia issues, Keith Kellogg, has postponed his introductory trip to Kyiv and other European capitals until at Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
This was reported by Reuters on January 6, citing four sources.
It is said that Kellogg initially planned a visit to Kyiv in early January to meet with Ukrainian leaders. His team also organized meetings with officials in other European capitals, notably Rome and Paris.
However, according to the sources, this trip, which was to be the first visit to Kyiv by representatives of the new Trump administration after the November 5 elections, was postponed.
Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine after Trump’s inauguration, although no date for the visit has been set, according to the sources. The reasons for this postponement have not yet been disclosed.
The executive director of the Center for Applied Political Studies “Penta”, Oleksandr Leonov, suggested during a broadcast on Radio NV that the postponement could be linked to a long emotional interview given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to American podcaster Lex Fridman :
“There is indeed a correlation, because the trip was postponed after this interview. But it seems to me that the main reason is the tacit recognition that Donald Trump’s planned blitzkrieg on Ukraine has failed. (…) This is a clear recognition that it is simply impossible to resolve the problem of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 24 hours. »
The expert said Trump would seek to prepare a draft of a deal or ceasefire before the inauguration to make it a highlight of his first presidential speech.
“But everything indicates that there is no clear plan yet to force Russia to come to the negotiating table, because [le dictateur russe Vladimir] Putin makes diametrically opposed remarks. Putin is actually demanding Ukraine’s capitulation. Under these conditions, it is clearly difficult to develop a clear strategy for moving forward. »
If Putin continues to refuse negotiations, Leonov predicts that Trump will have to use presidential powers he does not yet have, such as imposing sanctions or regulating oil prices, to apply pressure.
