ST. PETERSBURG, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi flew in a Russian fire-fighting plane on Friday, a spokesman for the Russian presidential office said.

The BE-200 amphibious aircraft, used by Russia's emergencies services, took off from and landed on water.

After the flight, the Italian leader commented on the "tremendous feeling of power," the Kremlin spokesman said.

BE-200 planes are often used to fight forest fires, including in Italy.

Berlusconi arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss bilateral investment projects, trade and economic relations and energy projects with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.