Introduction

At the beginning of Monday, Russia announced the “neutralization” of two Ukrainian planes that “crashed” in Moscow. Russia has accused Kyiv of trying to commit a “terrorist attack” in Moscow.

Russia confirmed that it had prevented a Ukrainian drone attack on the capital. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the air defense forces repelled the attack of Ukrainian drones on Moscow. He added that two drones were intercepted and destroyed.

Incident in Moscow

For his part, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram app that today, Monday, around 4 am (01:00 Moscow time), drones collided with two non-residential buildings in the Russian capital.

He added: “It did not result in major damage or injury.”

Response from Ukraine

On Sunday, Ukraine promised Russia to “respond” to a brutal nighttime rocket attack on the coastal city of Odessa that killed two people and damaged a historic cathedral, while Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the “failure” of Kiev’s counterattack during a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday in a statement to CNN that Ukraine would receive the F-16 fighter jets, noting that their delivery would take several months.

“Even if the decision on the F-16 is made tomorrow, it will still be several months before it starts to be implemented,” Blinken said.

He continued: “It’s about training, maintenance and having the ability to use them in joint military operations, all this takes time.”

Answering a clarification question about whether he thinks that Ukraine will receive American fighters, he said: “I think so. It is important to focus on ensuring that when they receive them, they are properly trained and able to use these aircraft wisely.”

“Our military leadership is making every effort to determine which (weapons) are most effective for the Ukrainians, how quickly they can be deployed, how effectively they can be used, and how the F-16 operation is progressing,” he added, quoting the Russian news agency TASS.

Blinken stressed that Ukraine has returned 50 percent of its lands occupied by Russia, and that its counter-offensive is difficult and will continue for several more months.