Ukrainian officer allegedly spied on Western jets for Russia
Kiev
A Ukrainian air force officer is said to have spied on the locations and deployment plans of the country's few Western fighter jets for Russia, Ukraine's SBU intelligence service has claimed.
The major collected data on the F-16 aircraft from the United States, Mirage jets from France and also Ukrainian Su-24 planes, the SBU said in Kiev on Wednesday.
The officer - who had served as a pilot trainer in the Ukrainian air force - allegedly helped Russia to plan missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian air bases. He was detained for treason.
There were no independent reports on the case.
'Whoever chooses the side of the occupiers will feel the righteous strength of Ukrainian justice,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine, which has been under all-out attack from Russia for more than three years, only has a few dozen Western fighter jets.
In the case of the F-16, 42 deliveries are publicly known, the majority of which were delivered by the Netherlands.
The aircraft are used less by Ukraine in its own attacks, but play a major role in intercepting Russian drones and missiles.
Russia hunts down these jets. For example, it repeatedly fires on the Starokostyantyniv airbase in western Ukraine, where the foreign aircraft are believed to be located.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
13 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine claims drone strike on oil refinery in Russia
Ukraine claims drone strike on oil refinery in Russia NewsFeed Video shows a massive explosion at a Russian oil facility in Novokuybyshevsk, 1,000km from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine's military says it used drones to target several sites inside Russia, including refineries, an airfield, and an electronics plant. Video Duration 04 minutes 44 seconds 04:44 Video Duration 01 minutes 30 seconds 01:30 Video Duration 01 minutes 54 seconds 01:54 Video Duration 02 minutes 47 seconds 02:47 Video Duration 00 minutes 54 seconds 00:54 Video Duration 00 minutes 45 seconds 00:45 Video Duration 01 minutes 53 seconds 01:53
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
DRC, Rwanda agree economic framework outline
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have agreed on terms of economic cooperation in several sectors, as the two countries move towards delivering on a peace deal signed in June. The tenets agreed on Friday summarise a regional economic integration framework, which includes elements of cooperation on energy, infrastructure, mineral supply chains, national parks and public health, according to the State Department of the United States, which brokered the deal. A source familiar with the matter said a preliminary draft of the framework has been agreed to and there would now be an input period to get reaction from the private sector and civil society before it is finalised, the Reuters news agency reported. In the statement, Rwanda and the DRC affirmed that each country has 'full, sovereign control' over the exploitation, processing and export of its natural resources, and recognised the importance of developing mineral processing and transformation capacity within each country, according to Reuters. The DRC views the plundering of its mineral wealth as a key driver of the conflict between its forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the country's east that has killed thousands of people. The deal signed in Washington, DC, on June 27 aims to attract Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. According to Human Rights Watch, it is 'a mineral deal first, an opportunity for peace second', linking economic integration and respect for territorial integrity with the promise of billions of dollars of investments. The two countries are also committed to ensuring that the minerals trade no longer provides funding to armed groups and to creating a world-class industrial mining sector in the region. The deal would also ensure better cross-border interoperability on mineral supply chains, according to the statement. They also agreed to connect new infrastructure to the US-backed Lobito Corridor, underscoring Washington's aim of greater access to resources in the region and efforts to counter China. The Ruzizi III hydropower project and Lake Kivu methane exploitation were the only specific projects mentioned in the statement, despite US emphasis on critical minerals. The countries said they intended to prioritise financing for Ruzizi and work together to exploit methane gas sustainably. (Agencies)
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Qatar Tribune
Two dead as Ukraine targets Russian infrastructure in drone attacks
DPA Russia Ukraine once again launched widespread drone attacks on Russian regions overnight, killing two people in the Penza and Rostov areas, officials said. The attacks triggered explosions at oil processing facilities, according to social media reports. Authorities in the affected regions of Samara, Penza and Ryazan confirmed the drone attacks, and said that debris from intercepted drones had struck industrial sites, though without providing further details. Penza Governor Oleg Melnichenko said only that a woman had been killed in a drone attack on a company, without giving further details. In the Rostov region, according to Governor Yuri Slusyar, a man who had been guarding an unnamed company building was killed in a drone attack. A video posted on social media purported to show a massive explosion at an oil facility near the city of Samara, located on the Volga River. Due to the drone threat, authorities in the Samara region also temporarily suspended flight operations at the local airport. In Ryazan, another oil facility was also apparently hit. Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed an attack but declined to give further details, urging the public not to share images that could aid the enemy. In the Penza region, a factory that is said to produce components for missile guidance systems was said to have been struck. There was no confirmation of the attack by the authorities. In Moscow, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday morning that more than 100 Ukrainian drones had been shot down. As usual, the ministry's statement made no mention of casualties or material damage in the affected regions. Throughout the more than three-year Russian invasion, Ukrainian officials have said that their drone strikes are aimed at disrupting Russia's military logistics deep behind the front lines – targeting fuel depots, ammunition stockpiles and transport infrastructure.
