Day: December 26, 2024
[Untitled].
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his country seeks to end the war in Ukraine. However, in 2025, Russia will continue to achieve all goals of its so-called special military operation, stated Putin at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
During the conference, Putin was asked if Russia could conclude the “conflict” by 2025.
“From your mouth to God’s ear. We also aim to end the conflict,” Putin responded.
He was also asked about the statements made by newly elected US President Donald Trump and his team regarding the possibility of freezing the conflict if Ukraine’s NATO membership is delayed.
Putin claimed he was unaware of what the Trump team was saying.
“And who says that? I don’t know what the team of the US president-elect is discussing. I know what Biden proposed to me back in 2021. He suggested delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership for 10 to 15 years because it’s not ready now. I said, yes, it’s not ready now, but you’ll prepare it and accept it. For us, what difference does it make today or in 10 years? I’m not familiar with the statements of the future team, but if that’s the case, what difference is there between the current administration and the proposals you mentioned? There’s no difference,” Putin said.
Additionally, when asked about plans for the next year, Putin stated that he “will solve all the tasks of the special military operation.”
“This is task number 1. We will support our guys who are fighting. We will achieve success on the contact line,” he added.
At the same time, Putin appeared to express doubts about Russia’s ability to achieve a military victory. When asked whether he believed that the war would end in 2025 with a Russian victory, he responded, “I believe in God, and God is with us.”
Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine
Earlier, Trump stated his desire to quickly end Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, he will do so within the first 24 hours of his presidency.
In particular, Reuters wrote that Trump is considering three key scenarios for ending the war. The proposals came from Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, US Vice President J.D. Vance, and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. All options provide for the freezing of the conflict along the existing demarcation line.
Trump also promised to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his country seeks to end the war in Ukraine. However, in 2025, Russia will continue to achieve all goals of its so-called special military operation, stated Putin at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
During the conference, Putin was asked if Russia could conclude the “conflict” by 2025.
“From your mouth to God’s ear. We also aim to end the conflict,” Putin responded.
He was also asked about the statements made by newly elected US President Donald Trump and his team regarding the possibility of freezing the conflict if Ukraine’s NATO membership is delayed.
Putin claimed he was unaware of what the Trump team was saying.
“And who says that? I don’t know what the team of the US president-elect is discussing. I know what Biden proposed to me back in 2021. He suggested delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership for 10 to 15 years because it’s not ready now. I said, yes, it’s not ready now, but you’ll prepare it and accept it. For us, what difference does it make today or in 10 years? I’m not familiar with the statements of the future team, but if that’s the case, what difference is there between the current administration and the proposals you mentioned? There’s no difference,” Putin said.
Additionally, when asked about plans for the next year, Putin stated that he “will solve all the tasks of the special military operation.”
“This is task number 1. We will support our guys who are fighting. We will achieve success on the contact line,” he added.
At the same time, Putin appeared to express doubts about Russia’s ability to achieve a military victory. When asked whether he believed that the war would end in 2025 with a Russian victory, he responded, “I believe in God, and God is with us.”
Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine
Earlier, Trump stated his desire to quickly end Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, he will do so within the first 24 hours of his presidency.
In particular, Reuters wrote that Trump is considering three key scenarios for ending the war. The proposals came from Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, US Vice President J.D. Vance, and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. All options provide for the freezing of the conflict along the existing demarcation line.
Trump also promised to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the war.
On the morning of December 25, 2025, an Embraer 190 passenger aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crashed near Aktau in western Kazakhstan while en route from Baku to Grozny. The exact cause remains unclear, but media reports suggest possible explanations ranging from a bird strike to being hit by a Russian missile defense system.
For more on what happened and which version seems most plausible, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Contents
- Embraer crash near Aktau: What happened
- Flock of birds, a balloon explosion, and system failure: Three versions in Russian media
- Could the aircraft have been shot down by the Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system
- How propaganda tried to hide the drone attack on Grozny
- What the Ukrainian aviation expert thinks about the crash
Embraer crash near Aktau: What happened
The Embraer 190 aircraft was en route to Grozny (Chechnya), but due to landing difficulties, it was diverted to Aktau. According to Flightradar24, the flight took off from Baku at 07:50 AM Kyiv time, but around 08:40 AM, it disappeared from radar near Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia) and reappeared at 10:07 AM over the Caspian Sea. The tracking ended completely at 10:28 AM.
The plane was heading toward Aktau’s airport, but its flight path was unusual. It continuously changed altitude and direction, suggesting there were likely issues with control. The pilots deployed the landing gear but were unable to land the aircraft. The moment of the crash was caught on video: the plane crashed into the ground, followed by an explosion.
Over the Caspian Sea, the aircraft sent a distress signal and then headed for an emergency landing, but it crashed in a field near the runway. Before this, it struggled to maintain altitude for over an hour.
As a result, of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed: both pilots, as well as seven Russian nationals, six Kazakh nationals, and 23 Azerbaijanis. Due to the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia, where he had been attending the CIS summit. Today, the country has declared a day of mourning.
A delegation from the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Agency, as well as representatives from AZAL, have already arrived in Aktau. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Brazil (Embraer is a Brazilian company) have joined forces to conduct a detailed analysis.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that the investigation will be carried out according to international standards. Yesterday’s crash is one of the most serious incidents in regional civil aviation in recent times.
Flock of birds, a balloon explosion, and system failure: Three versions in Russian media
According to the official version, the cause of the crash could have been a collision with a flock of birds. This was initially stated by the airline AZAL and the press secretary of Rosaviation, Artem Korenyako.
According to the health department of the Mangystau region in Kazakhstan, an oxygen tank supposedly exploded on board. “The oxygen tank exploded, and people began to lose consciousness,” orda.kz, writes, citing eyewitnesses.
Birds often get into engines, but it is extremely rare for this to result in fatal crashes. Usually, airplanes maintain control and can land with one functioning engine.
Photo: Russian propaganda focuses on versions ranging from a bird strike to an explosion inside the plane (Getty Images)
Russian Interfax news agency reported on the failure of one of the main systems. “The aircraft issued a distress signal and then disappeared from radar screens. Therefore, the version of a technical malfunction is currently being considered a priority,” said a source in the emergency services, without going into details.
At the same time, Embraer ERJ-190-100LR aircraft are relatively new and have high safety performance. The AZAL aircraft was produced in 2013 and had passed a full technical inspection just a few weeks before the crash.
There are many versions, and it is too early to speak about them, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. “According to the information I was provided, the AZAL aircraft, en route from Baku to Grozny, changed course due to deteriorating weather conditions and began heading toward the Aktau airport, where the accident occurred during the landing,” he added.
However, none of the versions explain the numerous holes in the aircraft’s fuselage. This raises the possibility of external impact on the body, including the potential for a hit from a surface-to-air missile system.
Could the aircraft have been shot down by the Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system
Several OSINT analysts have pointed out that the marks on the fuselage resemble the effects of a surface-to-air missile strike, possibly from the Pantsir-S1 system.
Oliver Alexander (who collaborates with leading Western media) specifically noted the entry and exit holes. In his view, such damage could not be caused by a bird strike or a crash. “It appears that every single piece of debris that hit the aircraft had enough kinetic energy to punch through the skin and not just dent it,” he explained.
Multiple holes on the tail and stabilizer suggest an external impact, wrote military analyst Julian Röpcke from Bild. According to military observer Yan Matveev, some of the damage has a cylindrical shape, which matches the characteristics of the projectiles used by the Pantsir-S1 air defense system.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Russians who had reviewed the crew’s conversations acknowledged that the aircraft had been targeted by air defense systems. While the reliability of the crew’s statements, published by anonymous Telegram channels, remains unverified, it seems the crew may have been unaware of what exactly had happened until the very end.
According to Kovalenko, the plane was not permitted to land in Grozny or Makhachkala (in Russian territory) for a reason. “Only the pilots’ professionalism prevented the Russians from turning this incident into a provocation against Ukraine. Now, Russia will do everything to hide its responsibility for the crash and the loss of lives,” he noted.
Later in the day, Euronews, citing Azerbaijani government sources, reported that preliminary investigation data confirmed the cause: a Russian surface-to-air missile fired over Grozny. According to the sources, the missile was fired during a drone strike on the capital of Chechnya. Its fragments hit passengers and crew members, exploding near the aircraft. Despite the pilots’ request for an emergency landing, they were ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan.
Ukrainian defense portal Defence Express notes that before the crash, drones were being shot down, likely with the help of the Pantsir air defense system. It is possible that the system mistook the passenger aircraft for a drone, as it can operate automatically. Therefore, the system could have failed to distinguish between the two targets.
How propaganda tried to hide the drone attack on Grozny
Russian authorities are downplaying any information that could suggest the AZAL plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile. In particular, yesterday, the propaganda focused on theories involving a balloon and birds, while ignoring the drone strike on Grozny.
The drone attack became known thanks to the Chechen public group NIYSO. The head of the region, Ramzan Kadyrov, did not comment on it, but his nephew, the secretary of the local Security Council, Khamzan Kadyrov, posted “everything is down” on his Instagram.
Until the very end, Russian authorities tried to cover up the drone attack in Vladikavkaz, where an explosion occurred at the Alania Mall. Initially, the propaganda claimed it was a gas explosion, but it was later revealed that the mall was not even connected to gas. The head of North Ossetia later mentioned that drone debris had fallen near the mall.
Photo: the crash site of the plane in Kazakhstan (facebook.com/azamat.sarsenbaev)
On central TV channels, news broadcasts reported the difficult situation at the airport in Grozny due to fog, with no mention of the “Carpet plan” in the North Caucasus. They also stated that the plane headed to Aktau, not reaching Chechnya, and allegedly turned around near Makhachkala. This contradicts the flight path shown on Flightradar24.
In the news reports from the crash site, a life vest with a hole, which was supposedly “pierced by a fragment of a balloon,” was shown. However, the numerous holes in the rear fuselage, indicating missile damage, were not shown in any of the reports.
What the Ukrainian aviation expert thinks about the crash
Aviation expert Konstiantyn Kryvolap noticed various-sized holes in the fuselage. In his opinion, it is possible that, in addition to the missile, the plane was also shot at with anti-aircraft artillery shells from a Pantsir.
“Most likely, there was an explosion from a Pantsir missile, and maybe something else was added. It probably happened like that because just recently, Kadyrov asked Putin for two or three Pantsirs, and they placed them near the Grozny airfield,” he told the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
According to him, the automatic mode in this air defense system is intended to repel mass attacks when many aerial targets approach from different angles and directions. The system calculates the optimal interception trajectories, and the operator intervenes to adjust which targets are prioritized. “But this is difficult; you need to train to work on the interaction between humans and machines. And there was no time for that. And they struck as they did,” the expert emphasized.
Kryvolap added that the most interesting thing is how the commission will be formed. There is a clear ICAO procedure. According to it, the commission should be created by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Brazil.
“And how can Russia, which is eager to influence the conclusions, fit into this team? We will see if (Azerbaijani President Ilham) Aliyev can withstand the pressure or not. And the pressure will be immense,” the expert noted.
He also added that the Russians most likely hoped the plane would fall into the Caspian Sea. And if they manage to interfere with the investigation, they will spread the narrative about Ukraine’s alleged influence: that if it hadn’t been for the drones, the Russian air defense would not have shot down the Azerbaijani plane.
“As for the A-22 planes (of a Ukrainian company, – ed.) Aeroprakt (allegedly, they attacked Grozny in a drone version, – ed.), more than 1000 of these were produced. Moreover, there may be more of them in Russia than in Ukraine. And buying them for FSB agents or Kadyrov’s enemies and converting them into drones is not a big problem,” he concluded.
Sources: materials from Russian, Kazakh, and Azerbaijani media, Euronews, the Ukrainian Defense Express profile portal, statements by the Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andrii Kovalеnkо, information from Telegram channels, and a comment by aviation expert Konstiantyn Kryvolap for the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
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NPR News: 12-26-2024 1PM EST
NEW YORK — The man accused of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway and fanning the flames as she burned to death made his first appearance in court this week, while authorities were yet to publicly identify the victim.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges on Tuesday afternoon in a Brooklyn court, where he was remanded back to custody. He did not enter a plea and his lawyer did not speak to reporters assembled inside the courthouse. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.
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Authorities allege Zapeta, who federal immigration officials say is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, calmly approached the woman aboard a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning and set her clothing ablaze.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday described the case as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”
Here’s the latest:
What do we know about the suspect?
Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday, hours after police disseminated images of a suspect in the woman’s death.
Police said three high schoolers called 911 after recognizing the person in the image, and officers found him on another subway train in the same gray hoodie, wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously deported to Guatemala in 2018. It is unclear when and where he reentered the U.S., Carter said.
Zapeta was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He appeared before a judge in a white jumpsuit and did not speak.
Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg, during Tuesday’s court hearing, alleged Zapeta lit the woman’s clothing on fire and fanned the flames using a shirt.
Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he didn’t know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images of the attack.
A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.
What do we know about the victim?
The victim had not been publicly identified as of Thursday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed. Police have described her only as a woman.
Tisch said at a press conference on Sunday that the victim was “in a seated position” at the end of the train car when she was set on fire. Joseph Gulotta, the department’s chief of transit, added that police don’t believe the suspect and the victim knew each other and that they did not interact before or during the incident.
What kind of police presence is there on the subway?
Police patrol the New York City subways, and there is a vast network of cameras in stations and all subway cars.
But the sheer size of the subway system — 472 stations with multiple entry points and millions of riders each day — makes policing it logistically difficult.
On Sunday, officers were at the station but were patrolling a different platform. They responded after seeing and smelling smoke coming from the fire.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year directed members of the state’s National Guard to assist with random bag checks at certain stations.
Is crime up on the subways?
Violent incidents on the subway and in stations often put people on edge, partly because many New Yorkers take the train multiple times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions in the system.
Broadly, crime is down in the city transit system this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% decline in what the agency calls major felonies between January and November of this year and 2023.
At the same time, murders in the transit system are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five in the same time frame last year.
High-profile incidents on the train often attract national attention and further unnerve passengers. Daniel Penny, a military veteran who placed an agitated subway rider in a chokehold, was acquitted of homicide this month.
“When you have these incidents, it overshadows the success and it plays on the psyche of New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a Monday interview on PIX 11, noting that many high-profile incidents in the transit system involve people with mental health issues.
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Hunting an owl to save an ecosystem
Biologist Daniel Hofstadter and a tiny band of researchers have been carrying out the most expansive barred owl removal effort to date . It’s a project that has killed more than 1,000 owls in Northern California since 2019 across nearly 10 million acres. The biologists believe that their work protecting spotted owls — a species that launched a conservation movement more than three decades ago — will ultimately help safeguard the ecosystem in one of the last old growth forests in the West. Host Martine Powers speaks with national climate reporter Joshua Partlow about the motivation behind the barred owl removal, the brief history of spotted owls in the area, and the ornithologist who carries out the shootings. Today’s show was produced by Bishop Sand. It was edited by Monica Campbell and mixed by Justin Garrish. Subscribe to The Washington Post here .
