Ukraine’s military reports hitting Russian air defence systems in the Russia-occupied region of Crimea, amid accelerating preparations for a peace summit due to take place in Switzerland. The claim comes as the electoral performance of France and Germany – key supporters of Ukraine – is denigrated by Moscow.
The Ukrainian defence forces announced their successful strike on a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile unit in the Dzhankoi area and two S-300 divisions in the vicinity of Chornomorske and Yevpatoria. No Ukrainian missiles were intercepted by the allegedly ‘highly effective’ Russian defences according to the general staff, who claimed that the three systems’ radar technology suddenly failed and their ammunition exploded.
Despite the sounds of enormous explosions resonating in two areas named by Ukraine early on Monday, Moscow has yet to verify the strikes.
Since the illegitimate annexation of the Black Sea peninsula by Russia in 2014, Ukraine has deployed domestically manufactured aerial and maritime drones, along with Western-provided missiles, to target the military infrastructure in Crimea and destroy or incapacitate multiple warships belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. This has compelled most of the surviving vessels to retreat further east.
The GUR military intelligence agency in Ukraine recently declared that it had managed to strike an advanced Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter plane at an airbase nearly 600km from the Ukrainian border. Satellite images showing a burnt-out aircraft were also released on Sunday. A well-known Russian military blogger asserted that the Su-57 had been targeted by a drone.
Regardless, Russia maintains that it holds the advantage in multiple areas across eastern Ukraine. On Monday, it announced that the Staromaiorske village in the Donetsk region – which was briefly reclaimed by Ukraine last summer before succumbing to another offensive – was now under Russian control.
Meanwhile, Switzerland is preparing to host a peace summit on the Ukraine crisis this weekend at a resort close to Lake Lucerne. Ukraine is hopeful of garnering extensive international backing for a peace proposal, which will subsequently be presented to Russia at a successive meeting. It should be noted that Russia isn’t invited to the gathering scheduled for the 15th and 16th of June.
Swiss leader Viola Amherd announced on Monday that approximately 90 states and significant bodies had agreed to participate in the forthcoming summit. She noted an upsurge in cyberattacks and anti-Swiss Russian propaganda ahead of the event. As a security measure, up to 4,000 Swiss military personnel will assist in maintaining order during the conference.
Among the anticipated attendees are French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz. Their parties’ dismal performance in the European elections was warmly received by several Russian politicians agitated by Macron’s increasingly resilient stance in favour of Ukraine.
Predictably, France and Germany didn’t fare well. Economic growth is at a standstill, migration issues persist and, against their local interests, these countries are being roped into the Ukrainian conflict, mentioned Russian parliamentary leader Vyacheslav Volodin.
Social media saw former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev deriding Macron and Scholz. “It’s time to step down,” he expressed mockingly, adding “to the trash bin of history!”