Ukraine ticker Finland confiscates suspected tanker +++ Putin apologizes after plane crash

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its war against Ukraine in violation of international law. The front has hardly changed since fall 2022. No end in sight. The developments in the ticker.

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11.27 pm

Melnyk demands 80 billion in military aid for Ukraine from Germany

The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, has called for a massive expansion of German arms supplies to Ukraine. "I expect the new German government to put military aid for Ukraine on a stable footing in the coalition agreement," Melnyk told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers (Saturday editions). "The future coalition should plan at least 80 billion euros for the next four years, i.e. 20 billion euros per year."

The sum would be "a profitable investment for Germany's security as well", continued Melnyk. Germany would also be sending a signal of strength to US President-elect Donald Trump, to the Europeans and, above all, to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Germany had made a "giant leap" compared to the beginning of the war and provided billions in aid. "Despite all the praise for the German government, the key question is: is this aid enough to stop the Russian advance and drive them out? Unfortunately, the answer is no," emphasized Melnyk in the newspaper interview.

The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany said that the Europeans were particularly challenged in view of the possible discontinuation of US military aid under future President Trump. Melnyk called on the EU countries to launch a "major joint rearmament project" worth 680 billion euros per year.

The Ukrainian diplomat is pinning particular hopes for the increase in military aid on the Union's candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz. "Personally, I have faith in Friedrich Merz, whom I know well, to make this big move. The question is whether the coalition partner with whom he will govern will allow it." For Melnyk, the Greens with Robert Habeck would be an ideal partner.

Melnyk was Ukraine's ambassador in Berlin from 2015 to October 2022, after which he was replaced by the current ambassador Oleksii Makeiev. Melnyk was controversial due to his statements, which were often seen as provocative. He was initially appointed Deputy Foreign Minister in November 2022 and then moved to Brazil in June 2023.

22:02

Mass protests in Georgia again

Thousands of Georgians demonstrated again this evening in Tbilisi against what they see as the illegitimate government and for the release of imprisoned participants in earlier protest rallies. According to media reports, a human chain that stretched through the entire capital turned into a large crowd that gathered in front of the parliament building of the South Caucasus republic in the evening. The rally was initially peaceful. Protests were also reported from other cities.

The inauguration of the new President Mikhail Kavelashvili is scheduled for Sunday in Tbilisi. The pro-Western head of state Salome Zurabishvili, who took part in the rallies, wants to prevent this and has repeatedly emphasized that she will not relinquish her office. She does not recognize the election of 14 December and is calling for new elections with the support of mass protests. The head of state performs more representative tasks in the country, which also has a long border with Russia.

Zurabishvili called on her supporters to gather in front of the presidential palace on Sunday. "I am waiting for you in front of the Orbeliani Palace," she was quoted as saying by the NewsGeorgia agency. She will then decide with her supporters how to proceed over the next few days.

For weeks, thousands of people have been demonstrating daily for a return to the country's EU course and for a repeat of the parliamentary elections in October, when the national-conservative ruling party Georgian Dream was declared the winner. Georgian Dream had nominated Kavelashvili for the presidency. The 53-year-old has been a member of the Georgian parliament since 2016. Before that, he was a footballer for various clubs at home and abroad.

Georgian Dream had put the country's EU accession negotiations on hold until 2028, triggering protests from pro-Western Georgians. This led to violent riots, injuries and several hundred arrests. The police are accused of violence and torture.

19.53 hrs

Finnish police seize suspected tanker

Following the suspected sabotage of an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea, the Finnish police have seized the suspected tanker "Eagle S". The ship was escorted to the port of Kilpilahti for further investigations, the police said. The tanker had previously been lying in the sea off the Finnish coast.

Damage was discovered on the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day. The Finnish authorities suspect that the anchor of the oil tanker "Eagle S", which had set sail from St. Petersburg in Russia, had damaged the cable running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Finland therefore stopped the tanker and escorted it into Finnish waters.

The Finnish authorities are investigating on suspicion of "serious sabotage". Just a month ago, two important telecommunications cables were damaged within a few hours of each other in the Baltic Sea; in this case, a Chinese freighter came under suspicion.

Finnish investigators suspect that the suspected tanker "Eagle S" belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent the oil embargo imposed two years ago in the course of the war in Ukraine. For the shadow fleet, Russia uses tankers sailing under a foreign flag to export crude oil and oil products regardless of international sanctions.

7.24 pm

Gazprom will no longer supply gas to Moldova from January

The Russian energy company Gazprom has announced that it will stop supplying gas to Moldova at the turn of the year. "Gazprom will reduce natural gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova to zero cubic meters per day from January 1, 2025 at 05:00 GMT (06:00 CET)," the company announced. The move was made in connection with Chisinau's refusal to pay its debts.

Gazprom accuses Chisinau of not complying with contracts. It therefore reserves the right to take further measures, including the termination of a gas supply contract with Moldova, the company explained.

Russia supplies gas to the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria. The Cuciurgan power plant there produces electricity with Russian gas, which covers 70 percent of Moldova's needs. The Russian-speaking region of Transnistria seceded from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In view of the expected loss of Russian gas supplies, the Moldovan parliament approved a 60-day state of emergency at the beginning of December. The government justified the state of emergency with "insufficient energy resources", which could have a "direct and immediate impact on the security of the state and its citizens".

Ukraine had previously announced that it would not extend the contract with Russia for the transportation of Russian natural gas through its pipeline network to Europe, which expires at the end of the year. Several Eastern European countries are therefore threatened with an end to Russian gas supplies.

18:43

Italy reports pro-Russian hacker attacks on infrastructure and government websites

Italian police say they are investigating suspected pro-Russian hacker attacks on the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Milan's airports. In addition to the ministry and Milan-Linate and Malpensa airports, the transport systems of Sienna and Turin were also hacked, the police said.

According to Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, this is the third hacker attack on the Foreign Ministry in three days. "Today's attack is certainly of Russian origin," said Tajani. In his own words, the minister ordered the creation of a new department for cyber security and artificial intelligence within the ministry. In addition, security measures for Italian embassies would be tightened.

According to the police, the pro-Russian hacker group NoName057(16) claimed responsibility for the cyber attacks on the online service Telegram. The group repeatedly attacks authorities and strategically important facilities in NATO member states that support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.

"We have been registering attacks of this kind on infrastructures and ministries for three days", said Post police chief Ivano Gabrielli to the Adnkronos news agency. Such attacks are carried out "cyclically" by groups that support the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

16:36

Baerbock: Damage to another undersea cable an "urgent wake-up call"

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has expressed alarm at another suspected act of sabotage by Russia in the Baltic Sea and warned against the so-called Russian shadow fleet. "Ships are currently damaging important submarine cables in the Baltic Sea almost on a monthly basis," she told the Funke media group newspapers. "It is more than difficult to believe in coincidences. This is an urgent wake-up call for us all." Submarine cables are "the communication arteries that hold our world together".

Damage was discovered on the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day. The Finnish authorities suspect that the anchor of an oil tanker launched from St. Petersburg in Russia damaged the cable running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Finland stopped the suspected tanker "Eagle S" and escorted it into Finnish waters.

Finnish investigators suspect that "Eagle S" belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent the oil embargo imposed two years ago in the course of the war in Ukraine. For the shadow fleet, Russia uses tankers sailing under a foreign flag to export crude oil and oil products despite the international sanctions.

The Russian shadow fleet is "a major threat to our environment and our security", said Baerbock. As a result, more than 50 ships had been subject to European sanctions by mid-December. "Further EU sanctions against the shadow fleet must follow", Baerbock demanded.

European security is not only threatened by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, but also by "hybrid threats from malicious actors", the Foreign Minister stated. It was therefore necessary to protect critical infrastructure even more. "We need more investment in national protection," said Baerbock.

At the same time, cooperation within NATO and the EU will be expanded, the Minister continued. "We are currently discussing with our NATO partners how we can better protect the Baltic Sea from hybrid threats."

3.31 pm

Russia wants to continue flights to the ISS with the USA until 2027

Russian and US space travelers are to continue their cooperation in space in the coming years, despite the serious political tensions between their countries. In Moscow, the Russian space agency Roskosmos announced new joint flights to the International Space Station (ISS) until 2027.

Two flights with Russian Soyuz space capsules to the outpost of humanity and three with the US transporter Crew Dragon are planned during this period, reported the Interfax news agency in Moscow with reference to information from Roskosmos. An additional agreement with NASA on the joint flights will be signed next year.

This should ensure the reliability of the work on the ISS, Roskosmos added. In future, the cosmonauts are also to stay longer on the ISS, around 400 kilometers above the earth - instead of an average of six months, they will stay for seven to nine months.

Russia is also aiming to build its own space station in space, as the space agency announced on Telegram. After more than a quarter of a century in operation, the ISS is considered to be prone to breakdowns.

Despite its costly war of aggression against Ukraine and the associated economic sanctions, Russia plans to continue spending the equivalent of around three billion euros on space travel in 2025. As was once the case during the Cold War, cooperation between Russia and the USA in the space sector is one of the few areas in which contacts still exist.

Next year, Russia will be offering space tourists trips to the ISS for the first time since 2021. The stay is planned for ten days. In the Star City settlement near Moscow, wealthy customers undergo months of preparation alongside cosmonauts for the three-hour flight from the Baikonur spaceport to the ISS. In 2021, Russia brought two Japanese space tourists to the ISS.

14:07

Putin apologizes after plane crash

Following the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan with 38 fatalities, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the incident. "Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace," the Kremlin announced in Moscow after a telephone conversation between the two.

Update 3.24 p.m.: Putin also explained that Russian air defenses were deployed against Ukrainian drone attacks at the time. However, Putin did not say with such clarity that the air defense had hit the plane with a missile.

Putin "once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery", the Kremlin added. During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger plane repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny airport. "At the same time, Grozny, Mosdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, with Russian air defenses repelling these attacks," the Kremlin said.

11.36 a.m.

Slovakian head of government ready to mediate

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has offered his country as a meeting place for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine. "If anyone approaches us and is interested in organizing peace talks on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict in Slovakia, they can count on our hospitality," Fico said in a video message published on Facebook. He had discussed this proposal with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow and was delighted with his positive reaction.

Putin had already stated on Friday that Fico had offered his country as a platform during his visit to Moscow last Sunday and welcomed this initiative. The left-wing populist Fico has repeatedly attracted attention for his public criticism of the West's Ukraine policy. His trip to Putin has drawn fierce criticism from the EU and Ukraine.

Fico combined his offer to mediate in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine with a threat to Kiev. If Ukraine were to stop the flow of Russian gas to Slovakia on January 1 as planned, then "adequate countermeasures" would be taken, the head of government said. "If it is unavoidable, then we will stop the electricity supplies that Ukraine urgently needs when it has supply bottlenecks."

28.12.2024, 07.34 am

Russia repels dozens of Ukrainian drone attacks

Russian air defense fended off a wave of attacks by dozens of Ukrainian drones during the night, according to officials in Moscow. According to the state news agency Tass, a total of 56 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed. According to the report, 28 drones alone were destroyed in the Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, 11 in the neighboring Belgorod region and 17 in the Rostov region. According to the regional administration, two villagers in Belgorod were injured by shrapnel when a drone exploded. The information could not be independently verified.

In its defensive campaign against the Russian invaders, Ukraine repeatedly attacks targets on Russian territory - mainly with drones. The country has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for almost three years, although the destruction and casualties among the civilian population in Ukraine are far greater.

22:34

USA sanctions Russia-friendly Georgian billionaire Ivanishvili

The USA has imposed sanctions against the Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili in Georgia, where pro-European demonstrators have been protesting against the government for weeks. The founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who is considered a powerful mastermind in his country's politics, and his party are "undermining Georgia's democratic future to Russia's advantage", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained the move on Friday.

The actions of the former head of government had "undermined democratic institutions, enabled human rights violations and impaired the exercise of fundamental freedoms in Georgia", Blinken explained. He condemned the "violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, media representatives, human rights activists and opposition members" by the ruling party under Ivanishvili's influence. Ivanishvili and the Georgian Dream were taking the country off course towards a "Euro-Atlantic future", Blinken lamented.

As Georgians are waiting for reported announcement of new sanctions from US, a march of musicians are going to Heroes Square. pic.twitter.com/Q7sVFzpX8f

— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) December 27, 2024

21.44 hrs

US government to announce further aid package for Ukraine

According to government representatives, the USA will announce further military aid to Ukraine amounting to 1.25 billion dollars. The aid package is expected to be officially announced on Monday and will include a considerable amount of ammunition, including for the Nasams and Hawk air defense systems, government representatives said on Friday. In addition, 155 and 105 millimeter caliber Stinger missiles and artillery shells will be provided.

21.22 hrs

Zelensky calls on China to take action against North Korea

Due to the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia's war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on China to exert influence on North Korea. "The Korean people should not lose their people in the fighting in Europe. And this can be influenced by Korea's neighbors, including China," said Selenskyj in his evening video message. "If China is serious about its declarations that the war should not be expanded, it must exert a corresponding influence on Pyongyang." Beijing is the isolated communist country's closest ally.

Moscow deployed the North Koreans above all in the attempted recapture of the Russian region of Kursk, said Selensky in Kiev. They suffered heavy losses there. "We can see that the Russian military and the North Korean superiors are not at all interested in the survival of these Koreans."

On the part of the attackers, everything was being done to prevent the North Koreans from being taken prisoner by the Ukrainians. Selensky claimed that they would rather be killed by their own people. This account cannot be verified.

Today, I held a Staff meeting. There was a report from Commander Syrskyi on the situation at the front. The Donetsk directions remain the toughest, with updates from Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions as well. There are details regarding the situation in the Kursk region:… pic.twitter.com/teZXivUaeZ

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 27, 2024

18:32

USA reports heavy losses among North Korean forces

According to the US government, North Korean forces are now deployed in large numbers on the front line near Kursk in the Ukraine war. It is assumed that the soldiers there are carrying out massive "infantry attacks against Ukrainian positions", explained the communications director of the National Security Council, John Kirby.

However, he emphasized that the tactic of "waves" of unprotected attacks on foot had proven to be ineffective. It had led to considerable losses among the North Korean armed forces. According to US estimates, more than 1,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded in the past week alone. There are also reports that North Korean soldiers prefer to take their own lives rather than surrender to the Ukrainian armed forces - "probably for fear of reprisals against their families in North Korea if they are captured", he added.

The White House: North Korea's losses in battles against Ukraine amount to about 1,000 soldiers

This was reported by John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. National Security Council.

His estimate of 1,000 dead, as noted by Reuters, significantly… pic.twitter.com/acbPJaq0hp

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 27, 2024

17.23 hrs

After the crash: Airlines suspend flights to Russian cities

Following the crash of a passenger plane with 38 fatalities, Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to other Russian cities. The destinations Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara and Mineralnye Vody will no longer be served for the time being, the airline announced on Friday. It referred to the preliminary results of an investigation into the Embraer 190 crash, which was caused by a "physical and technical malfunction". Potential risks to flight safety must be taken into account, it added. Immediately after Wednesday's crash, Azerbaijan Airlines had already suspended flights from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala.

The Kazakh airline Qazaq Air also announced on Friday that it would not be offering flights from Astana to Ekaterinburg in Russia for a month. Just the day before, the Israeli airline El Al announced that it was suspending flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow, citing "developments in Russian airspace".

5.15 p.m.

After suspected sabotage: NATO increases military presence in the Baltic Sea

Following the suspected sabotage of another underwater cable in the Baltic Sea, NATO is increasing its military presence in the area. He had spoken to Finland's President Alexander Stubb about the investigation following the damage to an underwater power cable between Finland and Estonia and expressed his "full solidarity and support", said Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday in the online service X. "Nato will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea," Rutte emphasized.

Spoke w/ @alexstubb about the ongoing Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables. I expressed my full solidarity and support. #NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.

— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) December 27, 2024

Damage was discovered on the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day. The Finnish authorities suspect that the anchor of an oil tanker launched from St. Petersburg in Russia damaged the cable running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Finland stopped the suspected tanker "Eagle S" and escorted it into Finnish waters.

2.30 p.m.

Russian authorities comment on plane crash in Kazakhstan

According to Moscow, the passenger plane from Azerbaijan that crashed in Kazakhstan was unable to land at its destination in Grozny for safety reasons.

"The situation that day and during those hours in the Grozny airport area was very complicated," said the head of the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya, Dmitry Yadrov. "Ukrainian combat drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the Grozny and Vladikavkaz regions at that time."

According to the report, no take-offs and landings were permitted in Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, due to the danger posed by the drones. According to Yadrov, all pilots had to leave the airspace during the alert period. It was the first time that an official Russian body had established a temporal connection between a drone alert and the crash. On the Russian side, Rosaviatsiya is leading the investigation.

4.20 a.m.

Report: North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine

According to reports, a North Korean soldier fighting on the side of the Russian attackers has been captured for the first time in the Ukraine war. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the secret service in Seoul has confirmed the capture of a wounded North Korean soldier. According to Ukrainian military sources, Ukrainian special forces had captured the man during operations in the Russian frontline region of Kursk. It was not stated when this happened.

North Korea sent around 10,000 North Korean soldiers to Russia to support Moscow in the fight against Ukraine. After brief training and being equipped with Russian weapons, the North Korean fighters were integrated into the Russian armed forces, which have been fighting near Kursk for some time. More than 3000 North Korean soldiers are said to have already been killed or wounded. This estimate, which cannot be independently verified, was recently given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a meeting of the Ukrainian Armed Forces High Command.

Friday, December 27, 2024, 3:40 a.m.

Heavy attacks on the Ukrainian region of Sumy

According to the authorities, one civilian has been killed in heavy shelling and drone attacks from the Russian side on the Ukrainian border region of Sumy. "During the day, the Russians fired 169 times at the areas and settlements near the border in the Sumy region. 311 explosions were registered," the regional administration announced on its Telegram channel. The 59-year-old was killed on Thursday in the municipality of Krasnopillya, where a private house was reportedly on fire. According to the public prosecutor's office, the man was in the house.

According to the statement, other houses in another municipality in the region were damaged by the shelling.

Russian drone attacks were also carried out in other parts of Ukraine on Friday night, including in the capital region, as reported by the local military administration on Telegram. According to initial reports, no damage was recorded.

22:10

US media: Russian hit on passenger plane possible

According to a US government representative, initial indications suggest that a Russian air defense system may have hit the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan. This was reported by CNN and ABC News, among others, citing the official. However, the White House also referred to personnel in the region, as the investigation was still ongoing.

38 people died in the Embraer 190 crash on Wednesday, 29 survived, some of them seriously injured. The damage to the wreckage of the plane has triggered speculation that it may have been shot down - according to media reports, the government in Baku also suspects this.

21.33 hrs

Selenskyj: Successes in attacks on Russian rear area

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is seeing results from the increasing number of attacks by his armed forces on targets in Russia's rear. "We have the right, necessary results in destroying the enemy's military infrastructure," he said in his evening video message from Kiev.

The attacks with long-range weapons were not directed against civilian targets. "Ukraine is defending itself against aggression, and our attacks are directed exclusively against military targets," he said.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for almost three years and is therefore also trying to hit the enemy on its own territory. The Ukrainian army is inferior in terms of the firepower of rockets and cruise missiles. However, Ukraine is gradually expanding its longer-range weapons. Since the fall, Kiev has also been allowed to use Western weapons for attacks against Russian troop concentrations or ammunition depots.

Ukraine uses its own drones to strike oil refineries and factories even 1,000 kilometers away on Russian territory. Drone strikes on high-rise residential buildings in the Russian city of Kazan at the end of last week did not fit into this picture.

Selensky praised the fact that the USA has recently accelerated its military aid. "It is very important that the United States is now increasing its deliveries," he said. "The pace of deliveries should be such that it slows down Russian attacks."

In recent weeks, the outgoing US leadership under President Joe Biden has tried to spend as much of the approved money as possible on military aid. It is unclear what policy President-elect Donald Trump will pursue towards Ukraine.

21:18

Putin: Slovakia offers itself as a "platform" for negotiations with Ukraine

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Slovakia has proposed to serve as a "platform" for negotiations on peace in Ukraine. The Slovakian head of government Robert Fico has said that his country would be happy to serve as a "platform" in the event of peace negotiations, Putin told journalists.

He considers the solution to be "acceptable", said the Russian president: "We are not against it", he emphasized and praised Slovakia's "neutral position".

Fico is one of the few leaders in Europe who remain close to the Kremlin. Shortly before Christmas, he paid a visit to Putin in Russia. The other Western countries, on the other hand, have rallied behind Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Slovakian Foreign Ministry in Bratislava confirmed the offer to be available as a venue for part of possible Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in a press release obtained by dpa on Thursday evening. The Ukrainian government had already been declared willing to do so in October as part of a joint Slovakian-Ukrainian government meeting. The Slovakian government is permanently committed to a non-military solution and has repeatedly publicly declared its willingness to actively contribute to this.

A few weeks before Donald Trump returns to office as US President, the possibility of peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine is being discussed more and more frequently. The conflict was triggered by the Russian offensive in February 2022. During the election campaign, Trump announced that he would restore peace in Ukraine "within 24 hours" of taking office. The uncertainty about how he intends to achieve this has caused concern in Ukraine. Kiev fears that it could be forced into an agreement that is unfavorable for the country.

Fico, who has been back at the helm of EU and NATO member Slovakia since the fall of 2023, rejects military aid for Ukraine and advocates peace talks. He also accuses Kiev of jeopardizing his country's supply of Russian gas, on which it is heavily dependent.

Ukraine announced in the summer that it would not be renewing the contract with Russia for the transit of Russian gas through its pipeline network to Europe, which runs until the end of the year.

7.47 pm

Israeli airline suspends flights to Moscow

The Israeli airline El Al has suspended all flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow for this week. The reason is "developments in Russian airspace", the airline announced. It will reassess the situation next week and decide whether to resume flights.

An Azerbaijani plane had previouslycrashed in Kazakhstan. According to media reports, the government in Baku attributes the crash of the plane to fire from an anti-aircraft missile on approach to the Russian city of Grozny. Ukrainian drones were being fought in the air in several regions of the Russian North Caucasus around this time.

Photos of the tail section of the unfortunate aircraft show damage that resembles the impact holes of shrapnel from anti-aircraft weapons. Officially, the cause of the plane crash has not yet been determined.

19.22 hrs

Russia declares national emergency over Black Sea oil spill

Russia has declared a national state of emergency due to the oil spill in the Black Sea following a tanker accident. This would allow more government forces, technology and money to be deployed in the fight against the oil, said Civil Defense Minister Alexander Kurenkov in Moscow.

On December 15, two tankers crashed in stormy weather in the Kerch Strait between the Russian mainland and the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which is annexed by Moscow. One tanker broke up. Russian authorities estimate that around 3,000 tons of oil spilled into the sea.

According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Kurenkov said that 30,000 tons of oil-contaminated sand had since been collected from the mainland coast in the Krasnodar region. The coast is being monitored over a length of 220 kilometers. The minister spoke of 10,000 emergency personnel. However, there are complaints from the region that the authorities are acting too slowly.

According to environmentalists, the contaminated sand is often not being disposed of properly. There are reports that sacks filled with oil sand are not being removed, burst open and end up back in the sea. The beach in the vacation resort of Anapa, which is popular for its fine sand, is also affected.

The Crimean peninsula was not initially affected due to the prevailing westerly winds. However, oil slicks have also been observed on the south coast there. The Black Sea coast as far as Sochi and the Crimea are important vacation areas for Russia with warm sea water.

18.45 hrs

EU: Suspected freighter belongs to Russia's shadow fleet

According to the EU, a freighter targeted by investigators following the disruption of a power cable in the Baltic Sea is linked to Russia. "The suspect vessel is part of Russia's shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment while financing the Russian war budget," said a joint statement by the EU Commission and Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas.

The Russian shadow fleet includes ships that Russia uses unofficially to circumvent sanctions - for example for oil transportation. "We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to take action against this fleet", the statement continued.

Finnish investigators detained the oil tanker "Eagle S" after the EstLink2 power connection to Estonia was interrupted on Wednesday. The ship sails under the flag of the Cook Islands.

According to the investigators, the damage to the cable could have been caused by the ship's anchor. The EU suspects intent: the incident is the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure, it said. Any deliberate destruction of Europe's critical infrastructure is condemned in the strongest possible terms.

18.09 hrs

Ukrainian secret service: Heavy losses for North Korea in Kursk

According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, North Korean soldiers have suffered heavy losses in attacks in the Russian region of Kursk. Ukrainian attacks near Novoyivanovka had inflicted heavy losses on North Korean units, the GUR intelligence service reported. Due to attacks on the front line, North Korean troops also had problems with supplies and suffered a shortage of drinking water.

According to Ukrainian sources, North Korea has sent 10,000 to 12,000 soldiers to Russia to help the country in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky announced this week that 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed and injured in battles in Kursk. Ukrainian troops had advanced into Kursk in August, forcing Russia to withdraw some of its soldiers from eastern Ukraine. Although the Russian military was able to recapture part of the territory in Kursk from the Ukrainians, it was not able to drive the Ukrainian troops out completely.

17:54

Flight operations in Moscow temporarily suspended

Russia's aviation authority has temporarily suspended air traffic at all four airports in the capital for safety reasons. No take-offs and landings were permitted for a short time at Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports, according to the Rosaviatsiya authority.

The temporary restrictions also applied to the airport in the city of Kaluga, 190 kilometers southwest of Moscow. No specific reasons were given. After a short time, the all-clear was given again.

The restrictions are a recurring occurrence at various airports in Russia in the wake of drone attacks from Ukraine. Due to the deployment of Russian air defense, take-offs and landings are sometimes not possible. However, no defensive measures were reported this time.

Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for almost three years with Western help. As part of its defensive campaign, it also repeatedly attacks targets in Russia.

5.05 pm

Lavrov: France has proposed a dialog on Ukraine bypassing Kiev

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has assured that France has made an effort to hold a "dialog on the Ukrainian issue" bypassing Kiev. "I won't go into details so as not to disappoint anyone, but our French colleagues have made several calls through confidential channels," Lavrov said at a media conference in Moscow.

"'Let's help, let's start a dialog on the Ukrainian issue,'" he said. "Without Ukraine, by the way," Lavrov added. The request was made contrary to the constant assurances of the West, which repeatedly emphasized: "'Not a word about Ukraine without Ukraine'". "We have not refused," said the Russian chief diplomat about the alleged French proposal. Russia was "ready to listen".

Lavrov gave no details as to when these alleged contacts took place or what exactly they were about. There was initially no reaction from France to Lavrov's statements.

Lavrov also criticized France's "ambiguous behaviour" in the Ukraine conflict. France and other European countries have raised the possibility of having European troops monitor compliance with a possible ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow.

Last week, Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Selensky called on the EU and the USA to unite in order to stop Russian head of state Vladimir Putin.

16.08 hrs

Power cable fault: Finland suspects oil tanker

After a power cable in the Baltic Sea malfunctioned, Finnish investigators suspect an oil tanker. The ship "Eagle S" has been detained, according to the police in Helsinki. On Wednesday, the EstLink2 power connection to Estonia was interrupted.

They had taken command of the ship, the Finnish authorities announced. According to a Finnish authority, there are also problems with several communication cables. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Estonia, this has no impact on consumers.

The ship is sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands. According to the Financial Times, the freighter is associated with the Russian shadow fleet - ships that Russia is said to be using unofficially to deliver its oil to other countries in order to circumvent sanctions.

"The assumption at the moment is that it is a ship that belongs to the shadow fleet," said a representative of Finnish customs. Finland's President Alexander Stubb announced on Platform X that he had been informed about the case by the police: The risks posed by ships from the Russian shadow fleet must be prevented.

According to the investigators, the damage to the cable could have been caused by the anchor. The repair will take several months, according to the Finnish operator Fingrid. The power supply in Finland is nevertheless stable, but the situation could deteriorate if there is less wind, for example.

Submarine cables are subject to frequent faults, often caused by accidents such as ship anchors. However, data and power cables are also part of the critical infrastructure and can therefore become the target of military operations.

14:55

Injured after Russian attack on market in Nikopol

At least eight people have been injured in a new Russian attack on the city of Nikopol in southern Ukraine, according to the authorities. This time the central market was hit. Three people are in a serious condition, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, announced on Telegram.

A total of seven people were being treated in hospital. The premises of the market had been severely damaged.

The information could not initially be independently verified. Nikopol is repeatedly the target of Russian attacks. It is unclear which weapons were used.

12.35 p.m.

Suspects are said to have planned attacks on Russian military personnel

According to its own statements, the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB has foiled possible assassination attempts on high-ranking military officers. Four Russian citizens have been arrested who had been making preparations, the FSB announced. It was a suspected Ukrainian plot.

The masterminds behind the planned attacks had intended to kill one of the officers with a remotely detonated car bomb. Another military officer was to be eliminated by an explosive device hidden in an envelope. The FSB did not initially name the people who were allegedly targeted. The domestic intelligence service published a video of the arrests and interrogations of the suspects.

In mid-December, General Igor Kirillov was killed by a bomb detonated remotely in front of his Moscow apartment building. He was the head of the Russian defense forces against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The Ukrainian domestic intelligence service claimed responsibility for the crime.

11.02 a.m.

Kremlin warns against speculation about crashed plane

Following the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan, Russia has warned against speculation that the plane with 67 people on board may have been shot down. "An investigation is currently underway, every aviation incident must be investigated by specialized aviation authorities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian state news agency Tass. "It would be wrong to make a hypothesis before the conclusions of the investigation are available."

The crash of the plane on Wednesday near the Kazakh city of Aktau on the coast of the Caspian Sea killed 38 people. 29 people survived, some with serious injuries. Because unusual damage can be seen on the outer skin of the aircraft, there is speculation that the plane was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile. The Chairman of the Senate in Kazakhstan, Maulen Ashimbaev, rejected this as "hype" and an unsubstantiated claim.

In Ukraine, for example, but also in the Russian opposition camp abroad, there were accusations that the air defense had fired on the plane as part of a defensive battle against a Ukrainian drone attack. In fact, authorities in the North Caucasus reported Ukrainian drone attacks on Wednesday morning.

Thursday, December 26, 7:36 a.m.

Places in Russian Belgorod without electricity after drone attack

A power line has been damaged in a drone attack on the Russian region of Belgorod on the border with Ukraine. The residents of several small villages are without electricity, announced the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, on his Telegram channel late on Wednesday evening.

Belgorod / Bilhorod PR ❗
Loud tonight 🔊🛸💥 over the Chernyansky district. In Grayvoron, two drops from drone are reported. There are consequences. pic.twitter.com/I7Ltqt8Li6

— LX (@LXSummer1) December 25, 2024

The Ukrainian air force had attacked the district of Graiworon, which lies directly on the border, with drones. There was a temporary air alert in the entire Belgorod region.

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