UK defense minister pours cold water on Ukraine’s fighter jet hopes
A Belgian F-16 jet fighter takes part in the NATO Air Nuclear drill “Steadfast Noon” at the Kleine-Brogel air base in Belgium on Oct. 18, 2022.
Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty Images
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace dampened hopes of fighter jets for Ukraine, something its leaders have been urgently requesting for months.
Wallace outlined the complications involved in providing fighter jets as opposed to land-based systems, including the large amount of training and maintenance staff that would be needed for such an effort.
“I don’t think it’s going to be in the next few months, or even years, that we are going to necessarily hand over fighter jet, because they are very different weapons systems to you know, handheld anti-tank missiles,” Wallace told the BBC from Brussels.
“These aircraft come with not only huge sort of capability challenges, you know, you just can’t learn to fly in a week or two, it will take a long time.”
He added that the jets also “come with a pit crew like a Formula One team, you know, they come with hundreds of engineers and pilots. And that’s not something you can just generate in a few months, and we’re not going to deploy 200 RAF personnel into Ukraine at a time of war.”
— Natasha Turak
Russian forces have relocated at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps since start of war: report
A couple of children’s shoes is on the floor close to a placard in support of Ukraine, A woman is putting children’s shoes on the floor, as a part of a Ukrainian art installation to draw attention to the killings of civilians and in particular children during the war in Ukraine. The Hague, on April 2nd, 2022.
Romy Arroyo Fernandez | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Russian forces have moved at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps and facilities across Russia for forced adoptions and military training, according to a new report.
The allegations detailed in the 35-page report, such as the abduction or detention of children, may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity. The allegations were detailed by the Conflict Observatory, a program supported by the U.S. State Department.
The report, entitled “Russia’s systematic program for the re-education and adoption of Ukraine’s children,” took more than a year to produce. It outlines what it calls the Kremlin’s systematic efforts to abduct children, prevent their return to Ukraine and “re-educate” them to become pro-Russia.Â
About three-fourths of the camps appear to “expose children from Ukraine to Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic, and/or military education … with the apparent goal of integrating children from Ukraine into the Russian government’s vision of national culture, history and society,” the authors of the report wrote.
— Amanda Macias
Pentagon awards Northrop Grumman Army contract for more ammunition
A howitzer, belonging to Ukrainian artillery battery attached to the 59th Mechanized Brigade, shoots-off to target the points controlled by Russian troops in order to support to the Ukrainian army as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on November 05, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The Pentagon awarded Northrop Grumman and Global Military Products Inc., a contract worth more than $522 million for the manufacture and delivery of 155 mm artillery ammunition. The U.S. Army contract is funded by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
“This is an example of the Army’s continued commitment to continue working closely with industry to support the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and award replacement contracts as quickly as possible, using undefinitized contract actions, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts, and other tools that accelerate acquisition timelines,” the Pentagon wrote in a statement.
— Amanda Macias
Two ships leave Ukrainian ports under Black Sea Grain Initiative
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Chris Mcgrath | Getty Images
Two vessels carrying more than 81,000 metric tons of grain and other food products have left Ukrainian ports, the organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from the country said.
The ships are destined for China and India and are carrying sunflower oil and sunflower meal.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw three key Ukrainian ports reopen.
So far, more than 700 ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports.
— Amanda Macias