A bloodied victim in front of the damaged Taras Shevchenko Theater after a direct hit from a Russian ballistic missile, August 19, 2023 (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
Saturday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy — 63 Countries Have Signed “Peace Formula”
Map: Institute for Study of War
UPDATE 1954 GMT:
Alongside visiting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave the first specific confirmation of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.
Fredersikson said Copenhagen will deliver 19 jets: six around New Year, eight in 2024, and five in 2025.
UPDATE 1342 GMT:
In a joint press conference alongside visiting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said:
In a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a military air base in Eindhoven on Sunday, Rutte said:
Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark commit to the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian air force, including cooperation with the United States and other partners once the conditions for such a transfer have been met….
The military training will start in the very near future, and then it will take of course some time for the planes to get operational with well-trained pilots, but we’ll do everything to make it happen as soon as possible.
Zelenskiy, who hailed a “breakthrough agreement”, said the exact number of aircraft will be discussed “a little later”.
Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen followed up:
It makes me proud that Denmark, together with the Netherlands, will donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine’s fight for freedom against Russia and its senseless aggression.
Denmark’s support for Ukraine is unwavering, and with the donation of F-16 aircraft, Denmark is now leading the way.
UPDATE 1037 GMT:
Following Saturday’s discussions in Sweden, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in the Netherlands.
Zelenskiy will meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military airbase in Eindhoven.
Olena @ZelenskaUA and I arrived in the Netherlands with the team.
There will be focused talks with @MinPres. Key topic: F-16s for Ukraine, to protect our people from Russian terror.
The Global Peace Summit, #PeaceFormula, and justice for Russian crimes will all be on agenda.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 20, 2023
Welcome back to the Netherlands, President @ZelenskyyUa.
🇺🇦🤝🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/1bXTrVWnHs
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) August 20, 2023
UPDATE 0933 GMT:
Russian officials say a drone struck a railway station and set it on fire in the Kursk region, injuring five people.
The governor of the Rostov region also said a drone had attacked, causing no injuries or damage.
Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports were briefly closed, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming a drone was downed in an unpopulated area by electronic jamming.
UPDATE 0705 GMT:
Ukraine officials say pilots have begun training on F-16 fighter jets with US instructors inside the country.
“The F-16 aircraft was in Ukraine. It landed at our airfields, we conducted joint training with F-16 pilots….A day ago two of my pilots were tested by US instructors,” Air Force Commander Oleksandr Oleshchuk told State TV on Saturday.
He said that while the total training period is normally 32 months, “for this class of pilots, they will be able to master the F-16 aircraft in four months”.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a separate interview that Ukrainian engineers and technicians are training alongside the pilots. He would not disclose how long the instruction would last, but noted that “a minimal term of training is six months”.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed approval of the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as the training is completed.
See also Ukraine War, Day 541: US Approves F-16s to Kyiv From Denmark and Netherlands
After a meeting in Stockholm with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Saturday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said discussions have begun on delivery of Swedish Gripen fighter jets to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy said training of Ukrainian pilots on the jets has begun.
UPDATE 0643 GMT:
An image from the Kherson region in southern Ukraine:
72-year-old Inna Valeriyivna stands against the backdrop of private homes ravaged by war in her village in Kherson Oblast.
A powerful message with no need for words.
Photo: Maksym Mazur (Instagram: @withmazur) pic.twitter.com/dBr4vUkg2A
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) August 20, 2023
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has carried out another mass killing in Ukraine, this time in a missile strike on a theater and central square in Chernihiv in the north of the country.
At least seven civilians, including a 6-year-old girl, were killed and 144 injured by the strike on Saturday morning. The wounded include 15 children and 10 police officers. More than 40 were hospitalized.
The Russians attacked as people were going to church to celebrate a religious holiday. A missile — an Iskander-M ballistic weapon, according to Russian military sources — tore into the Taras Shevchenko Theatre, whose roof collapsed after a fire was extinguished by emergency services.
The theater was hosting a public event, “Angry Birds”, featuring drone manufacturers. The exposition was stopped and people urged to to go to shelters when air raid sirens sounded.
Amid suspicion that the Russians targeted the gathering, organizers said the location was only circulated to participants “a few hours” in advanced. They are co-operating with the State security service SBU in inquiries.
“Russia Must Lose This War Life to Win”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during a visit to Sweden, reacted:
This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state. This is what we are uniting the entire world against.
Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are… pic.twitter.com/AMgXCVfR7h
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023
Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, echoed:
It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.
I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction and soaring humanitarian needs.
Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. It must stop.
In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskiy said:
Let’s do even more to consolidate the world against Russian terror. Let’s give even more to our state to protect life. Russia must lose this war for life to win.
Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, reacted:
It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians.
I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction and soaring humanitarian needs.
“I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, delivered early on Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden. “A notable response.”
A six-year-old girl named Sofia was among the dead, Zelenskiy said, and 15 of the injured were children. Fifteen others were police officers, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. Most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road, or returning from church when a missile hit the city’s landmark Drama Theatre, he said.
Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said 41 people were in hospital on Saturday.