Ukraine war: Russian general fired, F-16s pose 'nuclear' threat, Russia strikes Kyiv

A top Russian general has been dismissed after laying bare the dire situation in Ukraine. 

Maj Gen Ivan Popov, who commanded the 58th Army fighting around Zaporizhzhia, blasted the high causality rate, lack of artillery and poor military intelligence in the Russian army.

"It was necessary either to keep quiet and be a coward or to say it the way it is," he said in a voice message posted on Telegram. 

"I had no right to lie in the name of you, in the name of my fallen comrades in arms, so I outlined all the problems which exist."

Russian military bloggers claim the order came from the head of Russia's armed forces, Gen Valery Gerasimov, who accused the fired general of "alarmism and blackmail". 

Sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would be deemed a "nuclear" threat by Moscow, Sergei Lavrov warned in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

"We will consider the very fact that the Ukrainian armed forces have such systems as a threat from the West in the nuclear field," the Russian foreign minister said. 

"Russia cannot ignore the ability of these devices to carry nuclear charges." 

Lavrov said he had warned the US, UK and EU states not to deliver F-16s. 

"The United States and its NATO satellites are creating the risk of a direct armed confrontation with Russia and this risks having catastrophic consequences," he said. 

The US, previously unwilling to give Kyiv fighter jets for fear of escalating the violence, gave the green light to delivering F-16s in May- something Kyiv has long demanded. 

When they will be delivered to Ukraine remains unclear. 

It was announced at the Vilnius NATO Summit on Tuesday that 11 countries would form a coalition to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the jet. 

At least one person has been killed and four injured in