Ukraine receives fighter planes, parts to bolster air force: Pentagon | AFP/France24 |

Ukraine has received fighter planes and aircraft parts to bolster its air force in the face of Russia's invasion, the Pentagon said Tuesday, declining to specify the number of aircraft or their origin.

Ukrainian forces "right now have available to them more fixed-wing fighter aircraft than they did two weeks ago," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"Without getting into what other nations are providing, they (Ukrainian forces) have received additional platforms and parts to be able to increase their fleet size," he said.

Kirby did not specify the type of aircraft delivered to the Ukrainian military, which had been pleading for warplanes for weeks, but suggested that they were Russian-made.

"Other nations who have experience with those kinds of aircraft have been able to help them get more aircraft up and running," Kirby said.

He underscored that while the United States had helped with the shipment of some parts, it had "not transported whole aircraft."

Kyiv has asked its Western partners to provide MiG-29 fighter jets that its pilots already know how to fly, and which a handful of Eastern European countries have.

Ukraine has received new warplanes, source unnamed - Pentagon | JPost |

"They [Ukraine] have received additional aircraft and aircraft parts to help them get more aircraft in the air," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.

Transcript has been updated to leave out part about platforms meaning aircraft ...

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing - April 19, 2022 |

A few hours later came a denial by Ukrainian Air Force.

'Sapere aude'