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DENMARK AND UKRAINE

Denmark to stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots

Denmark’s air force will stop training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets after 2024, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Monday.

Published: 24 June 2024 18:08 CEST
Denmark to stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots
A file photo of a Danish F-16 aircraft at Skrydstrup. Photo: Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

Poulsen confirmed the Danish decision at a joint press conference with Norwegian counterpart Bjørn Arild Gram, citing “respect for” the fact that the Danish air force is in the process of switching from using F-16s to F-35 fighter jets, and will be using its Skrydstrup air base, where the Ukrainian pilots are currently trained, for this purpose.

Denmark will still contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots outside of Denmark, Poulsen also said.

READ ALSO: Denmark boosts Ukraine military aid by 4.4 billion kroner

Ukrainian pilots are currently trained in Romania as well as in Denmark, but no decision has been made as to whether Denmark could contribute in Romania, he said.

Alongside the Netherlands, Denmark has led an international training coalition for Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots.

Denmark has also committed to donating 19 F-16s to Ukraine, with the first four aircraft due to arrive in Ukraine “this summer”, according to earlier reports.

Norway has also pledged a number of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Two Norwegian F-16s are involved in the training at Skrydstrup.

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MILITARY

One in four in Denmark stocked up with ‘crisis’ water and food

A significant proportion of the Danish population has followed official advice to ensure they have enough supplies at home to get by for three days in the event of a crisis.

Published: 25 June 2024 13:40 CEST
One in four in Denmark stocked up with ‘crisis’ water and food

Around a quarter of households have stocked three days’ supplies of water after advice was issued by authorities earlier this month to keep stores in case of a crisis.

A survey for newswire Ritzau by the Voxmeter institute found that around a quarter have already followed the guidelines. Over 1,000 people answered the survey, which was conducted between 6 and 9 days after the announcement.

The Danish Emergency Management Service (Beredsskabstyrelsen, DEMA) on June 15th issued advice for the general public to have certain supplies at home so that they are prepared in the event of a crisis. This can can mean natural events like extreme weather or human acts like cyber attacks or sabotage, DEMA said.

DEMA’s director Laila Reenberg, said at a briefing on the recommendations that there was no need to “rush out in panic” to purchase crisis supplies.

“But when you happen to be out grocery shopping, you can gradually fill out your supplies,” she said.

Some 26 percent said they have sufficient stocks of both food and water, while 72 percent said they did not in the survey conducted between June 21st-24th.

Those proportions are reasonable according to an expert, who said it was not expected that the entire country would rush to supermarkets to shop for the full checklist.

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But the numbers can also be used as a guideline for authorities, said Nina Blom Andersen, specialist in Disaster and Risk Management University College Copenhagen, speaking to news wire Ritzau.

“The authorities should use it as a signpost showing that they should always be aware that there is a group they need to look after,” she said.

The survey also asked respondents if they planned to buy things on the checklist that they do not already have.

Items on the list include power banks, first aid kits and wind-up radios.

“What could change these numbers to people being better prepared at home is continued focus on the task from the media, from authorities and that people keep talking about it in their social networks, private lives and relations,” Andersen said.

Focus on the issue from local as well as national authorities could also boost uptake, she added.

Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has said that information will be sent to all residents in Denmark by secure email “after the summer”.

Folders will also be placed at libraires and other public institutions, he said.

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