It is day 583 of the war in Ukraine. A total of 11 drones were shot down in two Russian regions. Ukraine has joined the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors. Ukrainian pilots have begun taking English courses as part of their F-16 training.
Novaya-Europe’s news roundup will brief you on the main developments overnight.
Russia shoots down 11 drones overnight
Russian air defence systems shot down 11 drones overnight, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
One drone was intercepted over the Kaluga region, while 10 more were shot down over the Kursk region, both located in central Russia.
The governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoyt, said that a Ukrainian drone had dropped two explosive devices on an electricity substation, leading to one of the transformers catching fire. According to Starovoyt, five villages and a hospital were experiencing black outs, with fire crews dispatched to extinguish the fire.
Ukraine joins IAEA Board of Governors
Representatives of 11 countries have been selected to serve on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 35-member Board of Governors for the 2023-2024 period, the organisation said in a statement on Thursday.
The countries selected include Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Indonesia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Spain, and Ukraine.
“I thank every country that supported our bid. Ukraine remains a reliable partner in the nuclear energy sector and we will make every effort to reinforce the IAEA’s important role and to strengthen global nuclear safety and security,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukrainian pilots begin learning English as part of their F-16 training
Ukrainian pilots that are part of the US F-16 training programme have begun learning English, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.
English language training, which will vary depending on proficiency and skill, has started for several pilots, Singh said, adding: “I don’t have an exact timeline of when folks will then move from that training to start pilot training.”
In late August, The Financial Times reported that a shortage of interpreters became an issue for Ukrainian servicemen training in Germany and Denmark. According to Dutch brigadier general Martin Bonn, “The big challenge is the translation of words used in a military or technical context . . . Words no one uses in everyday life”.
In August, Washington officially confirmed that Ukraine would receive US-made F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands after Ukrainian pilots completed their training programmes. The Washington Post reported that Ukrainian pilots would only start training in January 2024 as they first required four-month long English courses before beginning their six-month jet training.