It seems
increasingly likely
that Ukraine will be getting F-16
fighter jets in the future.
However, its military forces on
the ground are also getting
some upgrades.
CNN's Nic Robertson
reports on the new tools
being added to Ukraine's arsenal.
Focus on cold
for three or four days
in the Cold War believing alerts.
In this case,
these were lost probably three weeks
Ukrainian troops
get a lesson on covert bomb
making of local ruble,
British explosives and counter
insurgency specialists
pass on decades of know-How
to soldiers already
well-versed in normal frontline combat
operations.
And
will be.
But these are no ordinary bombs.
They are
secret weapons in Ukraine's
clandestine arsenal
to kill Russians on Ukrainian land.
If we have a high priority
target, we, of course, uses
equipment against it.
And it's not just individual targets.
Similar technology
already and very experienced
Ukrainian hands
was used to bring down
a building
on dozens of Russian troops recently
and back
much of this equipment is used to destroy
the enemy
who use it to produce explosive devices
we can use
on the ground, on the battlefield
or in the air as ammunition for drones.
This work
means
no
restrictions
but it's not just the subversive
skills and techniques
the British experts bring
that are needed in undercover operations.
It's the bomb components to
sophisticated switches,
specialized microchips,
night vision
goggles, covert monitoring, devices,
even 3D printers, some relatively
easy to buy outside
Ukraine, are in high demand
because troops here
are in a race against time,
against the Russians,
and getting them through NATO's partners
simply takes too long.
It's hard to measure
this help
with words or numbers
because it's a great moral support for us
straight to our hearts.
And we are very, very grateful
for this help
It's a measure,
even on the eve of an expected
big counteroffensive of
just how much help
Ukraine's military still needs.
That more than a year into the war,
even the smallest of components,
the most modest of hands on help,
is so gratefully received
Nic Robertson, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
A day after claiming
to have taken control
of the bitterly contested
city back much Wagner, now chief
Yevgeny Prigozhin
says his forces
will be pulling out
of Ukraine on Thursday
and handover his positions
to the Russian military.
But there's been no response yet on that
from the Russian ministry of defense.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
and the Ukrainian military have disputed
Faulkner's claims
he achieved Grozny.
I clearly
understand what is taking place
in Beaumont,
and we all clearly understand
why all of that is taking place.
I cannot share with you
the tactical views
of our military of our warriors,
but as of today, we can see that
the country,
which dozens times is bigger than we are.
Cannot occupy us, cannot win in this war.
And we understand that a bit more.
And then we will be prevailing.
Uh, Sebastian,
following all the mixed messages
for us here.
We got three different messages
somewhere.
Between Ukrainians and Volodymyr
and the Russian Defense Ministry.
Yeah.
And I think
Ukraine is making it clear
that they don't want to hand Russia
this propaganda victory.
Right
That after months and months
and fighting, Russia wants to claim
some kind of victory
that it can bring home
to its people here.
Ukraine isn't going to allow that.
In terms of what Wagner is saying,
that they're going to pull out on
the 25th.
We've seen this kind of threat
from them before.
They remember
you remember
they said just ahead of Victory Day
that they were going to pull out
right after
that was partly because of a dispute
with the minister
of defense over equipment.
So I think
we believe that when we see it,
because we know that Ukraine
is still looking
for an opening to move back in
and take more territory.
They are,
if anything, just holding on to
a tiny bit of the town
they've been trying to advance
on the flanks.
It's clear
Russia does have the upper hand there,
but they are not giving up.
And of course, the timing
of all of these announcements,
especially the Russian claim, comes
as Ukraine
took a major step forward
towards getting those F-16s,
those fighter jets
that it's been pushing
for, for a long time.
The U.S.
saying that it will support training,
signaling to its allies
that it will allow the reexport
from other countries.
And I think that sort of provides
a context there.
Let's take a listen to what
Jake Sullivan, the US
national security adviser,
had to say about it.
The United States has mobilized
an exceptional effort to deliver on time
and in full
everything Ukraine needs
to launch this counteroffensive.
Now that we've done that,
we can look forward
to the long term capacity
of Ukraine
to be able
to defend itself
and deter Russian aggression.
Fourth, generation fighter aircraft,
Western fighter
aircraft,
F-16s are relevant to that fight.
So no one's disputing the level of U.S.
aid right to Ukraine.
It's something
like $37 billion
since the start of the war,
which is really more than double
everyone else put together.
But it's the trickle effects
that's controversial
because Russia
has also adapted its tactics.
And I think
if you look at the amount of time
it's going to take to train an F-16,
even at the reduced time
of a couple of months,
it doesn't look like they'll be in place
for this counteroffensive.
And of course,
that is the most important thing
for Ukraine right now.
Yeah.
And also of immediate concern
is, again, the Zephyr is a nuclear plant,
which has had another power cut.
Yeah,
a blackout is what
the Ukrainians
that are calling it, the seventh
since the start of the war.
This means not
that they've lost all their electricity,
but they've lost
all external power supplies.
Now they're relying on diesel generators,
which the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Company
says they've got enough fuel to run
for just ten days.
So in their words,
the countdown has started.
The UN's nuclear watchdog,
the IAEA, is warning this money
that this presents a major threat
to nuclear safety.
Obviously, you need cool
you need electricity in a nuclear plant,
even when the reactors are in shutdown.
Which they are now to provide
cooling and other essential functions
to prevent a nuclear accident.
We've seen these blackouts before.
As I said, Max,
power has been restored
in a matter of hours today.
Is that we know
the situation in the plant is worsening.
Staffing levels have been dropping.
There was shelling last week
near the plant,
which the IAEA warned about.
So there is concern about this.
And of course, it
is potentially on the front line of where
we're going to see
possibly a counter-offensive starting.
Claire, thank you.