Peace summit in Switzerland, Russian planes destroyed… update of the day

According to Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Switzerland, the Ukrainian Air Force said two Russian planes were destroyed over the Sea of ​​Azov, according to UN statements… Here are things to remember from Monday 15 January 2024 regarding the war in Ukraine.

Summit for Peace in Switzerland

Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans for an international peace conference in Switzerland this Monday to end the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he hoped China would participate in, reports said. AFP

. “We are open to all countries respecting our sovereignty and territorial integrity to participate in this peace summit”The Ukrainian president said during a press conference in Bern.

Switzerland will host the conference, preparations for which will begin on Tuesday, Swiss Confederation President Viola Amherd said.

Two Russian command planes were destroyed

Ukraine’s air force said on Monday it had shot down two Russian airborne command planes over the Sea of ​​Azov, dealing a major blow to Russia in an area it is believed to control. Asked about this during a press briefing, a Kremlin spokesman could not say anything. “We have no information” On this, Dmitry Peskov said before referring to the Russian Defense Ministry, which has generally remained silent on its losses since the start of the Russian offensive.

Also Read: War in Ukraine: Two Russian Airborne Command Planes Cleared the Sky

“I thank the Air Force for this perfectly planned and executed operation in the region of the Sea of ​​Azov! », the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army Valery Zalozhny reacted. According to kyiv, the A-50, an AWACS-equivalent radar and airborne command plane used by NATO, crashed in the Sea of ​​Azov. Another aircraft, an Il-22 serving as a command post, was hit but managed to land in Anapa, southern Russia, but the damage was so severe that it was “considered. destroy”According to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, Yuriy Ignat.

“It cannot be repaired”He said while sharing a photo of the severely damaged plane. AFP The Ukrainian side was not able to verify these claims.

The UN told Ukraine not to leave

The UN fears a cut in funding for humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s population and refugees fleeing Russian aggression, seeking $4.2 billion for 2024 on Monday, reports AFP.

“Do you remember Ukraine? (…) A year ago, we would have talked only about Ukraine, and now, for several weeks, we have heard very little about it”, UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, launched at the launch of the Humanitarian Appeal to the media in Geneva. In an interview with AFP

In Geneva, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denis Brown, explained it “According to indications from member states, (funding) will decrease this year”.

Also Read: War in Ukraine. Russia would have lost more than 85% of its tanks on the front in about two years

And “If we don’t have humanitarian funding levels based on data and priorities, our aid will fall short”, she warned. In detail, the call for donations to help the Ukrainian population living in the country amounts to 3.1 billion dollars in 2024, up from 3.9 billion dollars the previous year – 67% of which was funded. It is arguably the best-funded appeal in the world, but the UN has scaled back this year, choosing to focus on the most urgent needs, said Martin Griffiths.

Five years in prison for Russian student

A Russian student accused of collaborating with Ukrainian special services and preparing acts of sabotage in Russia was sentenced to 5 years in prison, Russian authorities announced Monday.

“Kurgan Regional Court Convicts 20-Year-Old Student Recruited by Ukrainian Special Services”. To work for these services, the local branch of the Russian Security Services (FSB) said in a statement.

The student whose name is not clear, “Planned Acts of Sabotage of Military and Social Infrastructure, Broadcasting Pro-Ukrainian Propaganda Information on the Internet, and Collecting and Disseminating Data on the Position of Military Units (in Kyiv, Editor’s Note) Russians, according to the same source. Russian justice is also harshly punishing critics of the attack on Ukraine. Since February 2022, thousands of ordinary Russians have been fined or given long prison sentences for this reason.