Ukraine has received its first shipment of F-16 fighter jets from the West, something Ukraine has been seeking for months to help it beat back the Russian invasion of its territory.
Ukraine says the F-16s are crucial because of their ability to suppress enemy air defenses, an ability Ukraine urgently needs to repel Russian missile strikes into Ukraine.
Western allies have been slow in agreeing to supply the jets because they were fearful of escalating the conflict with Russia.
It was not immediately clear how many of the jets were included in the shipment and whether Ukrainian pilots, who have received training in the West, including in the United States, would be able to use the F-16s immediately, according to Bloomberg, the first media outlet to announce the arrival of the jets.
Denmark promised to donate 19 jets, and the Netherlands said it would send 24 jets to Ukraine, while Belgium and Norway, which has sent six, have promised to send more, Bloomberg reported.
U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to allow allies to send the U.S.-built jets to Ukraine a year ago, after repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO allies.
Ukraine says it foils aerial attack
Earlier Wednesday, Ukraine's military said it thwarted one of Russia's most extensive drone attacks, shooting down all 89 aerial drones Russia launched overnight.
The Ukrainian air force said the country's air defenses also shot down a Russian-guided missile that targeted the Mykolaiv region.
Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, was the biggest target of the drone attack.
Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, said on Telegram that more than four dozen drones were shot down above Kyiv and in areas approaching the city.
Popko said there were no reported injuries or damage from the attack, which came in two waves.
In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, officials said a drone killed one person and injured another.
Officials in Cherkasy, in central Ukraine, and the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk reported multiple drones were shot down in their areas.
Russia says it downs 19 drones
Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday it shot down 19 Ukrainian drones, including 11 over the Belgorod region along the Russia-Ukraine border.
The governor of the Bryansk region reported no casualties or damage after Russian air defenses shot down four aerial drones.
Other drone intercepts took place over Russia's Kaluga and Rostov regions, as well as Russia-occupied Crimea.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
