NATO scrambles jets as Russia launches huge attack with nuke bombers | World | News
NATO state Poland had to fight with fighters today due to Russia’s intense attacks on Ukraine, hours before the start of peace talks in Geneva. The scale of the attacks shows that Vladimir Putin is not keen on ending the war, despite sending a 20-person negotiating team to Switzerland.
Russia has deployed massive Tu-95MS strategic bombers to attack targets with cruise missiles. This comes amid reports from the United States and the Netherlands that experienced Western F-16 pilots were actively defending the skies over Ukraine against Putin’s drones and missiles for the first time. According to the French publication Intelligence Online, an F-16 squadron of experienced NATO pilots was created in strict secrecy and is currently patrolling the skies of the Kiev region under temporary contracts with the Ukrainian armed forces. They reportedly used Lockheed Martin Sniper targeting pods to shoot down incoming Russian drones.
In western Ukraine, close to NATO territory, Putin missiles hit the Ivano-Frankivsk region and explosions were heard in Burshtyn, where a major coal-fired power plant is located. According to reports, Stryi, an important railway and energy hub of the Lviv region near the Polish border, was also constantly attacked.
Cities hit included Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelensky’s birthplace, and the port of Odessa, which is now under daily bombardment. Dramatic footage showed how Ukraine shot down two Russian hypersonic Tsirkon (or Zircon) missiles using Patriot on the night of February 16.
Despite the extent of Russian attacks, Donald Trump He once again put pressure on Zelenskiy, rather than Putin, to make concessions ahead of the Geneva talks in which US officials will attend. The US President made the following request with an impatient attitude towards Kiev: “Ukraine had better sit at the table as soon as possible. That’s all I’m telling you.”
Putin’s team, led by Ukraine-hating hardline historian and Kremlin official Vladimir Medinsky, was forced to take a circuitous nine-hour flight from Moscow to Geneva for the talks because of Western restrictions on Russian aircraft. Italy opened its airspace so the team could reach Geneva.
Ukraine hit military targets in night attacks. An important oil refinery in Ilsky in the Krasnodar region was detonated in an attack by Ukrainian drones. The facility is a major supplier to Putin’s military forces in the war zone.
Major airports in southern Russia were closed, including Krasnodar and Gelendzhik, where Putin has a vast palace. Explosions also hit the city of Izhevsk, home to many large military-related factories, including arms manufacturer Kalashnikov. Classes were suspended in schools due to the arrival of unmanned aerial vehicles that apparently attacked energy facilities.
Mr. Zelensky’s forces were also accused of carrying out a long-range attack on the Metafrax chemical plant in the Perm region, more than 1,600 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian territory. The factory produces components for explosives and weapons used in warfare.
