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Russian media outlet Kommersant has reported that the two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters that crashed on Saturday in the Bryansk border region have been shot down by Ukrainian troops. The aircraft formed an assault group and have been "shot down almost simultaneously" in an ambush. "According to preliminary data, the fighters were supposed to launch an attack on the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, and helicopters were there to back it up," the Russian media explains. On the ground, the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office has reported that at least two people have been killed and 10 others wounded in a Russian attack in Kostiantinivka, on the eastern front in Ukraine. The attacked town is located 25 kilometers from the city of Bakhmut, disputed between both sides and center of intense fighting for months. There, Ukrainian troops have recaptured at least one square kilometer of land following the withdrawal of the Russian military, according to a new British intelligence report.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Kiev.Photo: POOL
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Update | The four Russian planes crashed in Bryansk have been shot down by Ukraine, according to local media
Russian media outlet Kommersant has reported that the two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters that crashed Saturday in the Bryansk border region have been shot down by Ukrainian troops, in what would be a spectacular blow to Kiev if confirmed.
Kommersant, a respected independent business-focused daily, has published on its website that the Su-34 fighter-bomber, the Su-35 fighter and two Mi-8 helicopters had formed an assault group and had been "shot down almost simultaneously" in an ambush in the Bryansk region, contiguous northeastern Ukraine. "According to preliminary data, the fighters were supposed to launch a missile and bomb attack on targets in Ukraine's Chernihiv region, and helicopters were there to back it up."
Russian state news agency TASS has said a Russian Su-34 fighter jet had crashed in that region, but has not specified a cause. The same agency quoted an emergency services official as saying a fire in a helicopter engine had caused it to crash near Klintsy, which is about 40 kilometers from the border.
There has so far been no official response from Ukraine, which generally refuses to comment on reports of attacks inside Russia. However, the top adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhail Podoliak, has described the incident as "justice and instant karma". (Reuters)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 20: 32
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Pope Francis greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives for a private audience at the Vatican on Saturday. / HANDOUT / AFP
What has happened in the last few hours
On the 444th day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, these are the main news at 20.00 hours this Saturday, May 13:
- Two Russian helicopters and two fighter jets crash in the Bryansk border region. Two Russian helicopters and two fighter jets from the same air group have crashed in Russia's Bryansk region, on the border with Ukraine, Russian media reported. Local authorities have so far confirmed the crash of a helicopter, presumably due to an engine fire. "Today in (the city of) Klintsi a helicopter crashed. As a result, there are casualties among the civilian population. One woman has been injured," Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.
- Zelenskiy asks the Pope to join his peace mission during their meeting at the Vatican. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, where they have been talking for 40 minutes. During their meeting, Zelenskiy asked the pontiff to join his "implementation", referring to a peace mission promoted by the Vatican to end the war. In April, returning from a trip to Hungary, Francis said the Holy See was involved in a mission to try to end the conflict. "There is a mission underway now, but it is not yet public. When it's public, I will reveal it," he told reporters at the time.
- Ukraine says its troops are advancing in two directions in the suburbs of Bakhmut. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Ukrainian troops were advancing in two directions on the outskirts of the eastern city of Bakhmut, but the situation in the center was more complicated. "Thanks to the competent planning of the command and the courage of our fighters, the enemy cannot take the city under his control," he wrote on his official Telegram channel.
- Moscow says its troops have advanced northwest of Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that "assault units have liberated a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the city of Artyomovsk," the Russian name for Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battle since the Russian invasion began last year is unfolding. Only a few hours earlier, British intelligence had made public that Ukrainian troops have recovered at least one square kilometer in the city after the withdrawal of the Russian military.
- Zelenskiy plans to visit Germany on Sunday to shore up support from his allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Berlin on Sunday, German government sources have confirmed to Reuters. With this trip, the president seeks to shore up the support of key allies against Russia's invasion. Zelenskiy will arrive from Italy, where on Saturday he met with the president and prime minister and with Pope Francis.
- Ukraine reports at least two dead and 10 wounded in a Russian attack near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office has reported that at least two people have been killed and 10 others have been wounded in a Russian attack in Kostiantynivka, a town 25 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut, on the eastern front in Ukraine. Among the injured are two teenagers, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office said in a statement posted on Telegram. The injured have been taken to hospital.
- At least 21 wounded in a Russian attack on Khmelnytsky in southwestern Ukraine. The number of wounded in the Russian attack on Friday night in the Khmelnytsky region of southwestern Ukraine has now risen to 21, of whom two have had to be hospitalized, according to the first deputy head of the regional military administration, Serhii Tiurin.
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 19: 52
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Ukraine says its troops are advancing in two directions in Bakhmut suburbs
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Ukrainian troops were advancing in two directions on the outskirts of the eastern city of Bakhmut, but the situation in the center was more complicated. "Thanks to the competent planning of the command and the courage of our fighters, the enemy cannot take the city under his control," he wrote on his official Telegram channel. In the morning, British intelligence had made public that Ukrainian troops have recovered at least one square kilometer in the city after the withdrawal of the Russian military.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that "assault units have liberated a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the city of Artyomovsk," the Russian name for Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battle is taking place since the Russian invasion began last year. (Agencies)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 19: 29
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Zelenskiy asks Pope to join his peace mission during his meeting at the Vatican
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Saturday afternoon with Pope Francis at the Vatican, where they have been talking for 40 minutes. During their meeting, both discussed Ukrainian children deported by Russia and the peace formula proposed by Kiev to end the war. "I am grateful for your personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians," Zelenskiy wrote on his official Twitter account. "I have asked you to condemn the crimes in Ukraine. Because there can be no equality between victim and aggressor," said the Ukrainian president.
Zelenskiy has also asked the pontiff to join its "implementation," referring to a Vatican-sponsored peacekeeping mission to end the war. In April, returning from a trip to Hungary, Francis said the Holy See was involved in a mission to try to end the conflict. "There is a mission underway now, but it is not yet public. When it's public, I will reveal it," he told reporters at the time.
During the meeting, Zelensky, who visited Rome for the first time since the war began, presented the pope with a bulletproof vest that had been worn by a Ukrainian soldier and then painted with an image of the Virgin. For his part, the Pope presented Zelenski with a bronze relief representing an olive branch, symbol of peace, as well as several documents from his pontificate.
Zelenski arrived at 16:10 p.m. in an armored car at the Vatican to meet with the Pontiff as part of his lightning trip to Rome. All streets adjacent to St. Peter's Square have previously been closed to traffic as part of the security device deployed in the city of Rome, with more than 1,000 officers patrolling the streets.
The Ukrainian president last met the pope at the Vatican in 2020 and the two have had several phone conversations since the war began. At the beginning of the conflict, the pope tried to take a balanced approach in hopes of being a mediator, but later began to strongly condemn Russia's actions, comparing them to some of the worst crimes against Ukraine during the Soviet era. (Agencies)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 18: 24
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Two fighter jets and two helicopters crash in a Russian region near the border with Ukraine
Two Russian helicopters and two fighter jets from the same air group have crashed in Russia's Bryansk region, on the border with Ukraine, Russian media reported. Local authorities have so far confirmed the crash of a helicopter, presumably due to an engine fire. "Today in (the city of) Klintsi a helicopter crashed. As a result, there are casualties among the civilian population. One woman has been injured," Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, the Russian emergency services have also reported the loss of a fighter. "The Su-34 fighter jet has fallen near the Ukrainian border," an emergency source told TASS. The Kommersant newspaper reported that the four aircraft could have been shot down "almost simultaneously". "Their crews have died," the newspaper said, citing its own sources. (Efe)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 20: 22
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RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
Zelensky meets in Rome with Pope, Mattarella and Meloni
Daniel Verdú
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in Rome this morning as the first stop on a small European tour that will take him to Belgium on Sunday. The Ukrainian leader met around 12.00 with the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. "It's an important visit for our victory," he said as soon as he arrived in the Italian capital. An affirmation that contrasts with the idea that he plans in the background of what was going to be his third meeting of the day in the Vatican with Pope Francis. The Holy See, said by the Pontiff himself, has been working on a peace mission for months to reach an agreement to stop the violent escalation. The problem, according to Vatican Foreign Minister Paul Gallagher, is that the time does not yet appear to have arrived.
Read the full information here.
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 17: 46
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Ukraine reports at least two dead and 10 wounded in Russian attack near Bakhmut
The Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office has reported that at least two people have been killed and 10 others have been wounded in a Russian attack in Kostiantynivka, a town 25 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut, on the eastern front in Ukraine. Among the injured are two teenagers, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office said in a statement posted on Telegram. The injured have been taken to hospital.
Kostiantynivka, a pre-war city of 70,000, lies near the front line in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, where some of the bloodiest fighting of the war is taking place. The city is regularly bombed by the Russian army. (AFP)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 17: 26
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Zelenskiy meets Pope in Italy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday afternoon. The pontiff said in late April that the Holy See is involved in a peacekeeping mission to end Russia's war in Ukraine. A few hours earlier, Zelenskiy met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and then Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before heading to the Vatican.
Both Mattarella and Meloni have reiterated Italy's full support for Ukraine in terms of military, financial, humanitarian and short- and long-term reconstruction aid. In a press conference after his meeting with Zelenski, Meloni condemned Russia's "brutal and unjust aggression", and promised Italy's support for Ukraine "as long as necessary". In addition, he has urged Russia to withdraw immediately.
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 16: 56
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Zelenskiy plans to visit Germany on Sunday to shore up support from allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Berlin on Sunday, German government sources have confirmed to Reuters. With this trip, the president seeks to shore up the support of key allies against Russia's invasion. Zelenskiy will arrive from Italy, where on Saturday he met with the president and prime minister and with Pope Francis.
Zelenskiy will want to know how German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees the end of the war, Christian Moelling, deputy director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, has ventured. "Does Germany want a Ukrainian victory or is it enough for the war to end? It will be important for Zelenskiy to hear directly from the chancellor how he thinks," he said.
Moelling added that Ukraine is also likely to be aware of the need to shore up support from allies helping it financially as they grapple with a crisis in their own countries. "Ukraine needs financial assistance to pay its debt and not go bankrupt, and Germany plays an important role there," he said.
Zelenskiy last visited Germany during the Munich Security Council in February last year, just before the war broke out. Germany, which is Europe's largest economy, faced criticism at the start of the Russian invasion: some countries felt it had no clear position on the conflict, but it has become one of Ukraine's biggest providers of financial and military assistance, ahead of other European powers such as France.
Zelenskiy's visit coincides with the announcement of new military aid from Berlin to Kiev valued at 2.700 billion euros, his biggest such package since the start of the war. (Reuters)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 16: 41
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Italy pledges full support to Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to provide full support to Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia's "brutal and unjust aggression." Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Meloni said Italy would continue to supply arms to Ukraine and support his country for as long as necessary. "We are betting on the victory of Ukraine," Meloni said.
A few hours earlier, Zelenskiy had met with Italy's head of state, Sergio Matttarella, at the president's Quirinale palace and will soon head to the Vatican for talks with Pope Francis. (Reuters)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 16: 15
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Moscow says its troops have advanced northwest of Bakhmut
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that "assault units have liberated a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the city of Artyomovsk," the Russian name for Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battle since the Russian invasion began last year is unfolding. Only a few hours earlier, British intelligence had made public that Ukrainian troops have recovered at least one square kilometer in the city after the withdrawal of the Russian military.
International observers doubt the strategic importance of the conquest of this city for Russia, but they do acknowledge that it would allow Moscow to show victory after several setbacks. For its part, Kiev assumes that it wants to tire the Russian army as much as possible by fixing it in this area of Donbas before launching an offensive to reconquer the occupied territories in the east and south of the country, whose preparations "are coming to an end" according to Ukrainian officials. (AFP)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 15: 44
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Russia accuses Ukraine of using British missiles against "civilian targets" in Luhansk
Russia has accused the Ukrainian army on Saturday of having used British long-range Storm Shadow missiles, promised on Thursday by the United Kingdom to Kiev, to attack "civilian targets" in the Luhansk region, located in eastern Ukraine and partially occupied by Russian troops. "Storm Shadow air-to-air missiles supplied to the Kiev regime by the United Kingdom have been used" on Friday for an attack on "civilian targets" in the homonymous city of Luhansk, causing "injuries, including six children," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Reuters has so far been unable to corroborate the Russian allegations. Britain on Thursday became the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles, with which Kiev can hit Russian troops from areas far from the front lines as it prepares for the counteroffensive.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said the missiles would only be used on Ukrainian territory, hinting that he had received a promise from Kiev that they would not be used to attack targets on Russian territory. (Agencies / EL PAÍS)
ACT.13 MAY 2023 - 14: 43
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