Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia vows retaliation over EU blocking state media on Telegram amid Azerbaijan plane crash

Azerbaijan was “in favor of a gaggle of worldwide specialists” investigating the crash, president Ilham Aliyev stated.Baku had “categorically refused” Russia’s suggestion that the Interstate Aviation Committee, which oversees civil aviation within the Commonwealth of Unbiased States, examine it.

“It’s no secret that this organisation consists principally of Russian officers and is headed by Russian residents. The elements of objectivity couldn’t be totally ensured right here,” Mr Aliyev stated.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed Russian state media yesterday that Vladimir Putin had spoken to Mr Aliyev over the cellphone once more however didn’t present particulars of the dialog.

The Kremlin stated a joint investigation by Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan was underway on the crash web site close to the town of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

The aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned in direction of Kazakhstan, a whole lot of kilometers throughout the Caspian Sea from its meant vacation spot, and crashed whereas attempting to land.

Passengers and crew who survived the crash informed Azerbaijani media they heard loud noises on the plane because it was circling over Grozny.

Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev stated Azerbaijan made three calls for to Russia in reference to the crash that killed 38.

“First, the Russian aspect should apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it should admit its guilt. Third, punish the responsible, carry them to felony duty and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members,” he stated.

Mr Aliyev famous that the primary demand was “already fulfilled” when Russian president Vladimir Putin apologised to him on Saturday. Mr Putin known as the crash a “tragic incident” although stopped in need of acknowledging Moscow’s duty.

He stated that an investigation into the crash was ongoing, and that “the ultimate model (of occasions) will likely be recognized after the black containers are opened.”

Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev stated yesterday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed final week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticised Moscow for attempting to “hush up” the problem for days.

“We will say with full readability that the aircraft was shot down by Russia. (…) We aren’t saying that it was carried out deliberately, but it surely was carried out,” he informed Azerbaijani state tv.

Mr Aliyev stated that the airliner, which crashed Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was hit by hearth from the bottom over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by digital warfare.”

Mr Aliyev accused Russia of attempting to “hush up” the problem for a number of days, saying he was “upset and stunned” by variations of occasions put ahead by Russian officers.“Sadly, for the primary three days we heard nothing from Russia besides delirious variations,” he stated.

The crash killed 38 of 67 folks on board. The Kremlin stated that air protection techniques have been firing close to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, the place the aircraft tried to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike.

Azerbaijan’s president has stated the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan final week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally.

“We will say with full readability that the aircraft was shot down by Russia. We aren’t saying that it was carried out deliberately, but it surely was carried out,” Ilham Aliyev informed Azerbaijani state tv.

Mr Aliyev stated the plane was hit by hearth from the bottom over Russia and rendered uncontrollable by digital warfare.

He accused Russia of attempting to “hush up” the problem for a number of days, saying he was “upset and stunned” by variations of occasions put ahead by Russian officers.

“Sadly, for the primary three days we heard nothing from Russia besides delirious variations,” he stated.

The crash close to Aktau airport on Wednesday December 25 killed 38 of the 67 folks on board.

Russian power big Gazprom stated it might droop gasoline exports to Moldova from 1 January as a consequence of unpaid debt by Moldova, which is bracing for extreme energy cuts.

It stated the corporate reserved the fitting to take any motion, together with terminating the provision contract with Moldova.

Russia provides Moldova with about 2 billion cubic metres of gasoline per yr, which is piped by way of Ukraine to the breakaway area of Transdniestria the place it’s used to generate low-cost energy that’s offered to government-controlled elements of Moldova.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean condemned the Russian determination, which is a precursor to a complete shutdown of Russian gasoline exports by way of Ukraine and to Europe, the place it flows additional to Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Italy, as soon as a present transit cope with Ukraine expires on 31 December.

Moldova will likely be hit the toughest by the shutdown.

“This determination confirms as soon as once more the intention of the Kremlin to depart the inhabitants of the Transdniestrian area with out mild and warmth in the course of the winter,” Recean wrote on Fb, accusing Russia of utilizing power as a political weapon.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed these allegations.

Aleksei Bugayev, a former member of Russia’s nationwide soccer crew who performed at Euro 2004, has been killed within the 34-month-old struggle in Ukraine, Russian media quoted his father and agent as saying on Sunday.

“Sadly, the information about Aleksei’s demise is true. It occurred at the moment,” TASS information company quoted the participant’s father Ivan Bugayev as telling the Sport24 information outlet.

RIA information company quoted Bugayev’s agent, Anton Smirnov, as saying intense preventing had made it not possible to retrieve Bugayev’s physique for burial.

Bugayev, useless at age 43, performed two matches for the Russian nationwide crew within the 2004 European championship and in addition performed for Moscow sides Torpedo and Lokomotiv in addition to different provincial sides. He ended his profession in 2010 on the age of 29.

In September Bugayev was sentenced by a court docket in southern Russia to 9 and a half years in jail on drug trafficking prices.

He later declared his intention to enroll to battle within the Ukraine struggle. Russian authorities actively recruit in prisons for the battle.

Some aviation specialists have stated the holes seen within the aircraft’s tail part after the crash point out that it might have come underneath hearth from Russian air protection techniques heading off a Ukrainian drone assault.

Mark Zee of OPSGroup, which screens the world’s airspace and airports for dangers, stated that the evaluation of the fragments of the crashed aircraft signifies a 90-99% chance that it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

FlightRadar24 stated in an internet put up that the plane had confronted “sturdy GPS jamming” that interfered with flight monitoring information permitting it to watch the aircraft’s flight path. Russia has extensively used subtle jamming gear to fend off drone assaults.

It’s unclear why the pilots determined to fly throughout the Caspian Sea as an alternative of attempting to land in Russia after the aircraft was hit, he stated, including that they in all probability confronted restrictions on touchdown at a better venue and will have thought that the injury was not crucial.

In Azerbaijan, Caliber on-line newspaper additionally claimed that the airliner was fired upon by a Russian Pantsyr-S air protection system and in addition had its techniques affected by jamming gear because it was approaching Grozny.