UKRaine to Receive 61 F-16 Fighter Jets, with First Aircraft Set to Arrive in 2023; UKR Makes ‘tactically significant’ Counteroffensive Gains; UKR Forces Continue to Hold Back RUssian Offensive in Marinka Sector; RU Forces Lose 27 Pieces of Military Equipment, 6 ammunition Depots in UKR’s South, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to receive 61 F-16 fighter jets, with first aircraft set to arrive in 2023:

Three months after U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to allow NATO allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 20 that Ukraine would receive 42 aircraft from the Netherlands and another 19 from Denmark, the first set to arrive by the end of 2023.

Zelensky over the weekend toured three European countries to discuss jet delivery pledges to Ukraine with their top officials.

The trip started on Aug. 19 in Sweden, where Zelensky said Ukrainian pilots had begun test flights on Swedish Gripen fighter jets. Sweden has previously said it would allow Ukrainian pilots to train on its Gripen jets, but has so far stopped short of pledging the aircraft itself.

Visiting the Netherlands on Aug. 20, Zelensky met with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief Andre Steur at an airbase in Eindhoven.

Rutte announced at a joint press conference that the Netherlands and Denmark would provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets once conditions for the transfer have been met.

“Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark commit to transferring F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Air Force,” he said in one of the airbase hangars.

Rutte added that he wanted the training for F-16 jets and their delivery to Ukraine to take place as soon as possible.

He didn’t specify the number of aircraft, but earlier that day, Zelensky said in Telegram posts that Ukraine would receive 42 F-16s in a “breakthrough agreement.”

The Netherlands Air Force has a total of 42 F-16s, but is transitioning to modern F-35 fighters. —>READ MORE HERE

ISW: Ukraine makes ‘tactically significant’ counteroffensive gains:

Recent Ukrainian military gains near the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia border and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast are likely “tactically significant,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Aug. 19 report.

“These advances may allow Ukrainian forces to begin operating in less heavily mined areas of the Russian line of defense that are likely more conducive to more rapid Ukrainian gains,” the ISW said.

The ISW cited Ukrainian advancements near Robotyne as an example. According to a CBS News report on Aug. 18, Ukrainian forces successfully cleared a Russian minefield in the area. This will help counteroffensive troops make progress toward the occupied city of Tokmak, now a logistics hub for the Russian army.

The ISW reported that Ukrainian forces made further advancements north of Robotyne on Aug. 19.

Ukrainian troops also continued counteroffensive operations in three sectors: Berdiansk, Melitopol, and Bakhmut. Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesperson for the Armed Forces, said that Ukraine holds the initiative in the Bakhmut direction.

Minefields present a daunting obstacle for Ukrainian troops en route to liberate Russian-occupied cities. While recent counteroffensive gains may appear small, the ISW considers them strategically important due to the organization of Russian defenses. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++War update: Ukrainian forces continue to hold back Russian offensive in Marinka sector+++++

+++++Russian forces lose 27 pieces of military equipment, six ammunition depots in Ukraine’s south+++++

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