Report: Helicopters and jets shot down in Russia
Von t-online, dpa, afp, Reuters
Updated on 05/13/2023 – 18:35Reading time: 51 min.
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Report: Helicopters and jets shot down in Russia
5:37 p.m.: Not three, but a total of four Russian aircraft are said to have been shot down in the Bryansk region near the border with Ukraine on Saturday. This is reported by the Russian daily newspaper “Kommersant”. Accordingly, it is said to be a Sukhoi SU-34 fighter jet, a SU-35 type fighter and two Mi-8 helicopters from the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Several Russian media had previously reported the crash of two helicopters and a fighter jet. The background was initially unclear. Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomas has so far only confirmed one helicopter crash near Klintsy. Five properties were damaged and one woman was injured. “Kommersant” is now saying that all the crews are said to have been killed, and there are reports of nine people killed. There was no official information on this. According to “Kommersant”, the four machines are said to have traveled together.
The Russian media speculates that the machines were shot down by “enemy planes or helicopters”. Others, including French Russia correspondent Paul Gogo and the Belarus-based opposition portal Nexta, suggested that it was Russian anti-aircraft defenses that shot down their own aircraft. The information could not initially be independently verified.
Video footage that is supposed to show the crash of the SU-34 fighter jet and one of the two helicopters can be seen here:
On the Ukrainian border: Two military aircraft have crashed on Russian territory. (What: t-online)
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During the conversation, Zelenskyy called on the Pope to condemn Russia’s crimes in the aggressive war against Ukraine. The politician reported on Twitter on Saturday after the approximately 40-minute audience with the head of the Catholic Church. “Victims and aggressors cannot be equated,” added Zelenskyj.
The meeting was eagerly awaited: the Pope repeatedly emphasizes that he wants to seize every opportunity to promote peace in Ukraine. The 86-year-old pontiff regularly recalls the suffering of the people in Ukraine. On such occasions, however, he usually does not name the attacker Russia. He had agreed several times to travel to Kiev – but only on the condition that he would then be able to travel to Moscow.
Earlier, in a speech to new foreign ambassadors to the Holy See, the pontiff emphasized the neutrality of the Vatican. This gives the Holy See a “certain standing in the international community that enables it to better help resolve conflicts,” he said. He referred to currently smoldering conflicts in the world. He also lamented the “ongoing war in Ukraine, which has caused unspeakable suffering and death.”
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