Russian attack on Kupiansk injures 4 people
On 17 February, the Russian army attacked the villages of Prystin and Kutkivka in the Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, injuring four people.
Source: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office
Quote: "Investigators say that on 17 February, at around 15:35, an enemy drone hit a lorry in the village of Prystin, Kupiansk district. The driver, 38, suffered an acute stress reaction. The vehicle caught fire and burnt out. It has been established that the occupiers used a Molniya UAV for the attack."
The lorry caught fire
Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office
Details: At 16:05, a Russian FPV drone struck the village of Kutkivka in the Kupiansk district. Three men aged 23, 48 and 50 received multiple shrapnel wounds and were taken to hospital. Multiple households were damaged.
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Ukrainian Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcon returning from a combat air patrol, having expended one of its AIM-120C-series AMRAAM missiles. Appears to be the first confirmation that Ukrainian Falcons are sporting the more advanced and longer-ranged C-series AMRAAMS. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 11, 2025 There is also the very real possibility that it was a ground-based air defense system used by the Ukrainian Air Force to bring down the Russian jet. In the past, the Patriot air defense system, in particular, has been used to down fixed-wing tactical aircraft and helicopters flying within Russian airspace, and it has reportedly successfully targeted aircraft at a range of around 100 miles. Starting in May 2023, Ukraine began pushing forward Patriot batteries to reach deep into Russian-controlled airspace. Most dramatically, a string of Russian aircraft was downed over Russian territory that borders northeastern Ukraine. In December 2023, Ukrainian Patriot operators used similar tactics against tactical jets flying over the northwestern Black Sea. Regardless, after many months of waiting for the F-16 and repeated refusals from Washington, Ukraine has rapidly introduced the type to operational service. A Ukrainian F-16 pilot has given an interview for the first the interview, the F-16 pilot, whose name is withheld for security reasons, revealed that he regularly conducts aerial reconnaissance flights over Russian targets and troops. Nearly every day, he carries out… — WarTranslated (@wartranslated) March 26, 2025 It was less than a year ago that the F-16 was first confirmed as being in the country, and since then, the type's mission scope has expanded. Ukraine is clearly grappling with the challenge of introducing an altogether new, Western combat aircraft, differing in many respects from its Soviet-era equipment. Regardless of whether or not an F-16 was involved in the demise of the Su-35S at the weekend, the type's significance in the air war is only set to grow, as experience builds and additional examples are delivered. Contact the author: thomas@
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