On September 14, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported that two Russian IL-38 military aircraft were detected and tracked while operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). This was the third such incident in one week. However, NORAD stated that the Russian planes remained in international airspace and did not violate U.S. or Canadian airspace. The flights were not seen as a threat.
Earlier in the week, on September 11, NORAD had reported detecting two Russian military aircraft in the ADIZ. Two days later, on September 13, a pair of Russian Tu-142 military aircraft were also detected in the area. According to NORAD, the ADIZ is a stretch of international airspace that requires the identification of all aircraft for national security purposes. This summer, NORAD had also scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese military planes in the ADIZ on July 25. In mid-August, four Russian warplanes were also detected and tracked in the ADIZ. NORAD stated that such incidents occur regularly.
In October, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS forum hosted in Kazan, Russia. It is expected that Tehran and Moscow will sign a bilateral cooperation agreement at the summit. Meanwhile, a man has been taken into custody and the FBI is investigating a shooting as a possible assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised Ukraine‘s offer to help and called it “moving.” However, on September 15, at least 42 people, including three children, were injured when a Russian air strike hit a high-rise building in Kharkiv city and caused a fire, according to authorities. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with CNN that Ukraine has not received enough military aid from foreign partners to equip even four out of the 14 Ukrainian army brigades that the country needs to be ready.
On September 15, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced that Ukraine is working to improve the quality of training for its military and will roll out a new project in October-November. The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explained the top stories of the week, including the controversy surrounding the “Russians at War” documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival and Russia’s counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast.
In other news, Cyprus has stripped Ihor Kolomoisky of his Cypriot citizenship after concluding that the notorious Ukrainian oligarch had withheld vital information related to criminal charges he faces, according to Philenews. An advisor for President Volodymyr Zelensky denied a news report suggesting that Zelensky’s peace plan will include a partial ceasefire, calling it fake. Ukraine’s strikes deep into Russian territory have “broken” the faith that Russian people hold in their country’s power and safety, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov on September 14.
Finally, Ukraine has received the 18 promised Bohdana self-propelled howitzers financed by Denmark.
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