Day 700 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russian Military Plane Shot Down - Dozens Of Casualties

Ukraine | January 24, 2024, Wednesday // 11:51|  views

Day 700 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • A Russian military plane with dozens on board crashed near Ukraine
  • Zelensky: 18 Ukrainians were killed and over 130 were injured in Russian missile strikes on Tuesday
  • Slovak Prime Minister Fico claims that life is peaceful in Kyiv while Russian missiles are falling there


A Russian military plane with dozens on board crashed near Ukraine

An Il-76 military plane with more than 70 people on board crashed in the Belgorod region, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed.

This was initially reported by a number of media outlets and Telegram channels, shortly after the governor of the region next to Ukraine, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported a serious "accident". According to the first information, there were 63 people on board.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the information, but said that on board the Il-76 were 65 captured servicemen of the Ukrainian army being transported to the Belgorod region for exchange, 6 members of the plane's crew and three accompanying them. A little earlier, channel "112", connected to REN TV, reported that everyone on board had died.

The crash of the plane, according to Gladkov's explanations, was in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region, only a few tens of kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian media already point to Kyiv

The aircraft is intended for airborne, troop transport, combat equipment (including medium tanks, i.e. weighing up to 30 tons), delivery of emergency cargo, transport of the wounded and sick, according to the website of the Ministry of Defense.

The Ukrainian military believes the plane was carrying S-300 missiles, with which Russia is shelling Kharkiv, not far from the Belgorod region. Kharkiv has been subjected to massive shelling in the last day and a half.

"Ukrainskaya Pravda" refers to sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to which the downing of the plane was the work of Kyiv. The same information comes from RBC-Ukraine sources.

An hour before the news of the plane's downing, warnings of a missile threat were triggered in Belgorod, and residents were urged to take shelter in safe places, away from windows.

Zelensky: 18 Ukrainians were killed and over 130 were injured in Russian missile strikes on Tuesday

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that 18 people were killed and more than 130 injured in the Russian missile strikes on Tuesday. More than 200 places, including 139 homes, were hit.

Later in the day, Moscow fired more missiles at Kharkiv. The city suffered a total of three missile "waves", which caused damage to the infrastructure, announced regional governor Oleg Sinegubov.

Slovak Prime Minister Fico claims that life is peaceful in Kyiv while Russian missiles are falling there

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico insists that life in the Ukrainian capital is "completely normal" and that there is no war, Reuters reported.

It comes a day before his first meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister and just hours after Russian missiles hit Kyiv.

Fico, who took power in October and changed the course of Slovakia's foreign policy towards ending military support for Ukraine, spoke at a briefing in eastern Slovakia. He is due to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal today in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.

A reporter asked Fico if it would not be more appropriate for him to visit Kyiv to better understand Ukraine's war with Russia, which began after Moscow's invasion, which will soon be two years old.

"There is a conflict that is local," Fico said. And he asked: "Do you seriously think that there is a war in Kyiv? You are joking, please, I hope you are not serious. Go there and you will understand that there is a normal life in the city, a completely normal life."

He added that it was more practical to meet in Uzhgorod, which the Ukrainian side had chosen, since Fico had first wanted to meet at the common border of the two countries.

Fico has previously made statements indicating a pro-Russian stance, Reuters points out.

Although Slovakia's prime minister ended military aid to Ukraine, he allowed private arms and ammunition supplies to the country to continue. He said military aid was prolonging the war and that compromises were needed to achieve peace - despite Ukrainian and Western arguments that Ukraine would collapse without Western military support.

Novinite remains the sole Bulgarian media outlet consistently delivering daily updates and key insights concerning the conflict. Our reporting commenced on the first day, 24th February 2022, and will persist until the conflict's resolution. Despite challenges, our independent journalism remains committed to offering precise, current news to our audience. We appreciate your ongoing support in staying informed! #stayinformed #WarInUkraine

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Tags: Ukraine, plane, Russia

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