Zelensky claims Ukraine downed 15 Russian aircraft since February
Istanbul, Turkey - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that his country downed a total of 15 Russian military aircraft since the beginning of last month.
“This week alone, we managed to shoot down seven Russian military aircraft. … Since the beginning of February, Russia has lost 15 military aircraft. This is the proper dynamics of their losses,” Zelensky said in a video address late on Sunday.
The more capabilities Kyiv possesses to shoot down Russian military aircraft, the more Ukrainian lives they will save by destroying Moscow’s logistics in the regions it controls, he added.
Expressing that they are capable of providing these capabilities and that Ukraine’s partners know Kyiv’s needs, Zelensky said the key in this regard is the ‘political will to implement everything’.
“If this does not happen, it will become one of the most disgraceful pages in history. … Russian evil should not be encouraged by weak decisions, delays in deliveries, or hesitation,” he noted. He also said Ukraine’s military is holding out ‘against the onslaughts’ and defending their positions despite the significant shortage of artillery.
“We are waiting for vital supplies, waiting specifically for an American decision. The support is crucially needed,” Zelensky said, adding: “We must finally find a solution to the situation on the Polish border, which has gone beyond both economics and morality long ago.”
Russia summons German envoy
Russia on Monday summoned Germany’s Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Lambsdorff over leaked military discussions between German officers last week. Russian media outlets reported Lambsdorff entering the country’s Foreign Ministry building and later leaving the building without giving comments to journalists. The Russian Foreign Ministry has yet to release a statement on the matter.
Lambsdorff was summoned as Russian media outlets on Friday shared a 38-minute recording of a conversation between German officers in which they discussed the theoretical possibility of Ukraine using German Taurus cruise missiles.
The recording also includes discussions about Ukraine’s potential strike on the Kerch Bridge that connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
A day later, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a swift clarification of the issue, which he described as a ‘very serious matter’.