Ukraine no longer has airforce, says Russian defence minister

Amid the ongoing peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said that Ukraine’s military capacity has been seriously degraded and the country no longer has an airforce.

Around 600 foreign mercenaries have been killed in Ukraine over the last two weeks, Reuters quoted Shoigu as saying. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues now for over a month, Moscow and Kyiv held peace talks in Turkey in a bid to end the war.

With this, the main tasks of the first phase of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine had been completed, said the Russian Defence Minister.

Speaking to officials during a televised meeting, Shoigu also warned that Russia would respond appropriately if the NATO military alliance supplied Ukraine with planes and air defence systems.

Also read: https://www.insidene.com/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-start-in-turkey/

After talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Istanbul, Russia’s deputy defence minister said Moscow has decided to drastically cut its military activity focused on Kyiv and Chernihiv in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has proposed adopting neutral status in exchange for security guarantees at the latest round of talks with Russia, meaning it would not join military alliances or host military bases, Ukrainian negotiators said on Tuesday.

The proposals would also include a 15-year consultation period on the status of annexed Crimea and could come into force only in the event of a complete ceasefire, the negotiators told reporters in Istanbul.

The Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. What followed the military operation was a slew of sanctions imposed by the western countries targeting the Russian economy.