Ukraine says it shot down a Russian military plane over the Sea of Azov and destroyed another. An A-50 reconnaissance plane crashed into the sea, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
The second Russian plane, an Il-22 bomber, was able to land in the city of Anapa. The aircraft, which also serves as a flying command post, was so badly damaged that it could no longer be repaired, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Ukrainian women train for battle
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Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushny congratulated the armed forces on the “perfectly planned operation.” Accordingly, the aircraft were used for reconnaissance, identifying targets and coordinating troops.
Russia initially did not provide any information about the incident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference that he had “no information about it.” He referred to the Russian Defense Ministry, which, however, rarely releases information on casualties in the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky is planning numerous meetings
The Ukrainian government hopes that the military success will also help to overcome Western governments’ recent growing skepticism about the appropriateness of their support – including at the talks in Bern and Davos, to which President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Switzerland. There will be bilateral meetings with representatives of the European Union, NATO and major companies. Zelensky is also scheduled to appear at the World Economic Forum in Davos this Tuesday.
Ukraine continues to seek financial and military help from abroad, especially from the West, in order to be able to survive in the defensive battle against Russia. The Ukrainian leadership had already made it clear in the run-up to the Davos summit that it was not interested in freezing the conflict with Russia. A breathing space would only benefit the leadership in Moscow to gather strength for new attacks.
Date for peace summit still open
An initial result of Zelensky’s trip to Switzerland is already clear: Switzerland and Ukraine want to organize a peace summit at the highest level. He announced this together with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern. Both sides wanted to start planning immediately. There is no date for the meeting yet.
Federal President Amherd with Selenskyj: Reception with military honors in Kehrsatz near BernImage: Alessandro della Valle/KEYSTONE/picture alliance
An invitation to Russia is not planned, as Zelenskyj indicated. All countries that support Ukraine’s territorial integrity would be invited, he said. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis emphasized that agreeing on basic principles for a peace solution on such a broad level could help bring Russia to the negotiating table one day. But there is still a long way to go until a peace solution is reached.
Russia launched a war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 and occupied large areas of land in the east and south. The format of such a summit would follow the four Peace Formula conferences that have taken place since spring 2023 in Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Malta and on Sunday in Davos.
AR/kle (afp, dpa, ap)