Ukraine war: Norway to donate F-16 jets, Ukrainians celebrate Independence Day, Crimea attack

Oslo has decided to donate combat aircraft to Ukraine, as reported by Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2. The channel did not cite its sources and did not specify how many F-16s would Oslo be providing Kyiv with.

The report came as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was visiting Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

If confirmed by Norwegian authorities, Norway would become the third country after the Netherlands and Denmark to announce similar donations of F-16 planes. 

Denmark said it will provide 19 of the fighter jets, while the Netherlands has not specified how many it will donate.

What Norwegian authorities confirmed on Thursday was the donation of anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, saying "air defence is critical to Ukraine's ability to protect both the civilian population and front-line infrastructure and military units against any type of Russian air attack."

"This is one of the largest Norwegian donations of military material to Ukraine to date," Gahr Støre said in a statement.

Ukrainians are celebrating their country's independence on Thursday while 18 months into a war against Russia, which invaded the country on 24 February 2022. 

In an address to the country, Zelenskyy said the national holiday was being held "at a time when we are fighting against the most dreadful threat to our statehood and at the same time when we have achieved the greatest national unity."

The Ukrainian president warned citizens about the increased possibility of an attack from Russia on the day.

Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union until it dissolved in 1991.

Seven people were wounded in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to the governor of the region, Serhiy Lisak, in an early morning missile strikes that