The investigation continues after an Army veteran killed multiple pedestrians, ramming a rented pickup truck through a New Year’s crowd in New Orleans. The AP’s Jennifer King reports.
Month: January 2025
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Did He Act Alone or Did He Have Help?
The training period for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters was reduced by almost 3 months. This, in turn, allowed for operational superiority in the air, according to Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Serhii Melnyk.
As Melnyk explained, the NATO DEEP program focused on training pilots of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
“The process of obtaining private pilot certificates for cadets has been optimized, which allows us to reduce the training time for F-16 pilots by almost 3 months. This provides an important operational advantage in the air,” he said.
F-16 pilot training
On May 19, 2023, then UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte announced that the United States was ready to approve training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters.
The next day, on May 20, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington was ready to agree to the transfer of combat aircraft to Ukraine, provided that they were not used to strike at Russian territory. After that, a number of countries began to join the training of Ukrainian pilots.
In August 2024, it was officially announced that F-16 fighters had arrived in Ukraine. The first aircraft were delivered by the Netherlands and Denmark. In particular, it became known that Belgium will deliver 30 fighters by the end of 2028.
Yesterday, on January 1, the British Embassy in Ukraine said that 200 Ukrainian aviators had undergone basic training for F-16 fighter jets in the UK.
Ukraine will assist in stabilizing the situation in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ukrainian grain will be supplied to the Syrian people, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
The head of state held a meeting regarding Syria. He listened to reports from Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha, and Minister of Agrarian Policy, Vitalii Koval, about their visit to Syria. They discussed the results of negotiations in Damascus and security and economic prospects.
“Ukraine will make every effort to stabilize Syria. We will establish the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ program to cooperate with the Syrian administration, and all partners are ready to support this,” the president said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will communicate with European countries and the United States to ensure maximum support for Syria.
“More stability in the Middle East means more peace and trade for all partners,” he emphasized.
Later in his address, the president noted that Syria could become a partner of Ukraine this year.
“We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Syria and interaction within international organizations. I want to thank our intelligence services for providing the security foundation for these contacts. As a result of the visit, we will also increase trade with Lebanon. Our agricultural exports to Lebanon amount to $400 million, and we are preparing to at least double this figure,” Zelenskyy said.
Fall of Assad’s Regime
Recall that at the beginning of December 2024, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria was overthrown. Power shifted to rebel forces led by the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Assad and his family fled to Russia. Recently, several of Assad’s relatives were arrested at Beirut airport.
Following Assad’s fall, Ukraine announced it was considering restoring diplomatic relations with Syria. Ukraine sent 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha visited Syria at the end of December. Ukraine became one of the first countries to make a high-level visit to Syria. More details on this can be found in RBC-Ukraine’s report.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out the possibility of allowing the transit of Russian-made gas under the label of Azerbaijan.
Ukraine will no longer allow the transit of Russian gas through the country’s territory after the end of this year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday after meeting with leaders of the European Union in Brussels.
The ban, he added, will apply to any gas flow “coming from Russia” to avoid the risk of having Russian gas sold to Europe under the guise of Azerbaijan-made gas.
“We’re not going to extend the transit of Russian gas,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
“We won’t allow them to earn additional billions on our blood. And any country in the world that can get something cheap from Russia will eventually become dependent on Russia – whether it happens in one month or one year. That’s their policy.”
The statement is set to go down badly with Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, a landlocked country that remains highly dependent on Russia’s pipeline gas.
Slovakia imports three billion cubic metres from Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly, every year, covering most of its domestic demand.
A major transit agreement between Ukraine and Gazprom, from which Kyiv earns constant revenue, is set to expire at the end of this year. The agreement accounts for half of Russia’s pipeline gas exports to the EU, according to Bruegel.
Although Russia’s pipeline gas exports to the bloc have plunged since the start of the full-scale invasion, a share of supplies continues moving unabated, freed from sanctions.
With the end of transit fast approaching, Slovakia has stepped up diplomatic efforts to ensure the country’s energy flows are not disrupted.
As an alternative, Bratislava might resort to Azerbaijan, a small country in the Caucasus that has positioned itself as an affordable option for Europe to replace Russian gas. Deals with Azerbaijan are controversial due to the country’s poor human rights record.
Under the scheme, Bruegel explains, Russia would supply gas to Ukraine labelled as “Azeri gas” while Azerbaijan would buy gas from Russia labelled “Russian gas” using the same infrastructure.
“In simple terms, there would be no change in the gas flows: EU traders would buy gas from Azerbaijan, which would buy gas from Russia,” Bruegel said in an October study.
But on Thursday, Zelenskyy made it clear he would not tolerate such a deceitful operation, arguing the Kremlin would still earn money and, as a result, retain a key source of revenue to finance its costly and brutal invasion. He did not mention Azerbaijan by name but the Financial Times journalist who asked the question did.
“We don’t want to play a game where this other country receives gas from Russia and then transits it. This is the same as continuing to profit from this war and sending money to Russia,” Zekenskyy said in his reply.
The Ukrainian leader offered one exemption to the ban: Ukraine would allow the transit of Russian gas if the European buyer agreed not to pay Russia until the war ended. Doing so, though, would most likely result in a breach of contract and a halt from Gazprom.
“We will think about that,” he said. “But we would not give Russia any chance to make additional billions that would be put into the war.”
Slovakia’s main gas buyer SPP has warned the loss of Eastern supplies would cost an additional €150 million in higher fees. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine also stands to lose money from ending the transit of Russian gas. (Bruegel puts the number at 0.5% of GDP.)
“To be honest during the war, it’s a bit shameful to talk about money because we’re losing people,” Zelenskyy said.
The news is expected to further sour ties between Kyiv and Bratislava.
Zelenskyy and Fico have had strained relations since the Slovak populist returned to power in October last year. Fico has gradually aligned himself with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to adopt a position deeply sceptical of military support for Ukraine.
“Ukraine won’t be invited to NATO. It will lose a third of its territory. There will be foreign military forces there,” Fico said the day before the summit in Brussels.
Slovakia is in contact with both the Ukrainian government and the European Commission, which advocates the complete phase-out of Russian gas, to find a solution before the transit agreement between Ukraine and Gazprom ends.
“We are holding very intense talks at an international level on gas supplies in 2025,” Fico said last week. “There are many hurdles, such as political statements by the Ukrainian side, the pressure on the suspension of supplies from the East to the West, proposals on gas deliveries that are much more expensive, including transit duties, which we reject. We see no reason to pay for gas more than required due to geopolitical reasons.”
The halt in transit of Russian gas through Ukraine could also affect Austria and Hungary, although to a different extent. Earlier this month, Austria’s OMV utility terminated its long-term contract with Gazprom after Russia cut off supplies, an incident that Chancellor Karl Nehammer denounced as “blackmail.”
A wave of terrorist attacks occurred in the United States during New Year’s celebrations, while a mass shooting happened in Montenegro. As a result, dozens of people were killed and injured.
RBC-Ukraine has gathered details about the tragic events in the US and Montenegro and their consequences.
USA
Car drives into crowd in New Orleans
In New Orleans, a white Ford pickup truck sped into a crowd on Bourbon Street – a popular tourist spot for New Year’s celebrations. After the collision, the driver exited the vehicle and opened fire, prompting police to respond with gunfire. Two policemen were injured during the shooting, ABC News reports.
Authorities believe the driver deliberately targeted the crowd to cause maximum harm. According to the latest reports, 15 people were killed, and 35 were injured, most of them locals. The attacker was reportedly killed during the shootout.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the incident a terrorist attack. The FBI stated it is investigating the events as a terrorist act, though initially, the Bureau did not classify the incident as terrorism.
New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect “intended to harm as many people as possible.” According to her, the individual was “obsessed with causing bloodshed and harm.”
The FBI identified the suspect as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas who had previously served in Afghanistan. Investigators confirmed he was born in the United States and held citizenship by birth.
Officials found an ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ed.) flag in the suspect’s vehicle. He had bypassed improvised barriers near the sidewalk and driven into the crowded district. Authorities are investigating whether the attack was carried out with accomplices and are examining potential ties between the suspect and terrorist groups.
Police discovered weapons and a potential explosive device in the car, as well as two other possible explosive devices in the French Quarter, which were later defused.
According to US President Joe Biden, the attacker had posted a video on social media indicating he was inspired by ISIS ideology and driven by a “desire to kill.”
Photo: Part of the French Quarter is blocked off after the mass killing of people (Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump, who will become US president this month, also reacted to the extraordinary event. On social media, he called the incident in New Orleans “an act of pure evil.”
Local authorities, in turn, urged citizens to avoid the Bourbon Street area. Meanwhile, world leaders are expressing their support for the Americans en masse.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the social network X that “Ukraine is shocked by the news of the attack in New Orleans, which killed innocent people and injured many more.” He expressed hope that those responsible for this terrible attack would be brought to justice.
Explosion of Tesla Cybertruck near Trump Hotel in Las Vegas
Just hours after the New Orleans attack, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded and caught fire near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The incident resulted in the death of the driver and injuries to seven others.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill reported that the vehicle had been rented through the car-sharing service Turo in Colorado. While the identity of the renter was established, it was not immediately confirmed whether he was the driver who died in the incident.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk provided video evidence to investigators showing the vehicle parked in the Trump Hotel parking lot for 15–20 seconds before the explosion.
Photo: Cybertruck after the explosion near the Trump International Hotel (Getty Images)
Musk believes the explosion could have been a terrorist attack. In particular, he drew attention to the fact that the Ford pickup truck that drove into the crowd in New Orleans and this Tesla Cybertruck were rented through the same vehicle rental platform.
Tesla’s internal investigation suggested that the explosion was caused by fireworks or a bomb in the cabin and was unrelated to the vehicle itself.
However, Sheriff McMahill stated that police would investigate any connection between the two events. Which is what Biden talked about when speaking on television on Wednesday evening.
Police discovered pyrotechnics and gasoline canisters in the electric vehicle. Surveillance footage showed the car passing the Trump Hotel an hour before the explosion, then returning, parking by the entrance, and exploding seconds later.
As of now, law enforcement has not yet found a connection between these incidents. The FBI, however, believes that the Cybertruck explosion was an isolated incident and no longer poses a threat to the public, CNN reports.
According to McMahill, pyrotechnics and gasoline canisters were indeed found in the electric car. After reviewing surveillance footage, police also determined that the vehicle drove past the Trump Hotel an hour before the explosion, then turned around, stopped at the entrance – and within seconds, caught fire and exploded.
This morning, KTNV-TV reported that police had identified the suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck bombing in Las Vegas as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, who previously served in the US Army.
The channel, citing federal sources, added that because the suspect in Las Vegas and the suspect in the deadly attack in New Orleans served in the military, the FBI is investigating a connection between them.
Shooting near nightclub in New York City
Another incident occurred in New York City on January 1. Around 11:20 p.m. local time, a mass shooting took place outside a nightclub called Amazura, located near the Jamaica Long Island Rail Road station in Queens.
The New York Post, citing sources and the NYPD, reported that at least 11 people, mostly teenagers, were injured. A group of four men fired approximately 30 shots into a crowd leaving the club after a private event.
Victims were taken to local hospitals, with none in critical condition. The Amazura nightclub, with a capacity of 4,000, regularly hosts DJ performances and live events.
Police are searching for a gray Infiniti in connection with the shooting and have identified a white BMW that may have been involved. The suspects remain unidentified.
Montenegro
Massacre in Cetinje
A terrible event also occurred on January 1 in Montenegro, where at least 12 people, including two children, were killed in a shooting in the city of Cetinje. Four others were injured. Preliminary reports suggest a domestic dispute in a local bar triggered the tragedy.
The attacker has been identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović. According to a report by the local media RTCG, Martinović was known for his odd behavior and had previously been detained for illegal possession of weapons. In 2005, he received a suspended one-year sentence for aggressive behavior but was not treated as a security threat.
In 2022, Martinović was found in possession of weapons and explosives, for which he was sentenced to three months in prison.
Preliminary information indicates that on January 1, 2025, after quarreling with one of the visitors at the bar, Martinović went home, retrieved a weapon, returned, and shot the bar owner and several other people. He then continued his shooting spree in the streets.
According to the local prosecutor’s office, the killings occurred in five different locations around the city. Among the victims were members of Martinović’s own family and the family of the bar owner, including two children.
The suspect fled the crime scene and attempted to take his own life during his capture. He died of his injuries on the way to the hospital.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, reacted to the tragedy, expressing that he was “shocked and overwhelmed” by the events.
“Instead of festive joy… we are enveloped in grief over the loss of innocent lives,” Milatović wrote on social media platform X.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić visited the hospital where the injured were being treated and declared three days of mourning from January 2 to 4, canceling all public events.
Media reports noted that Montenegro, a small country with a population of about 620,000, has a culture of carrying firearms, and many people carry them regularly.
The January 1, 2025, shooting is the second such incident in Cetinje in recent years. In August 2022, another attacker killed 10 people before being shot dead by a passerby.
Spajić announced that the National Security Council would convene to discuss, among other measures, the complete prohibition of firearm ownership.
Earlier, on the evening of December 20, a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people, including a 9-year-old child, and injuring more than 200 others (including a Ukrainian victim).
Authorities are investigating the detained driver – a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian psychiatrist. He has lived in Germany for nearly two decades and was arrested at the scene. Police have not disclosed the suspect’s name, but German journalists identified him as Taleb A.
Sources: ABC News, CNN, BBC, KTNV-TV, New York Post, RTCG.
A wave of terrorist attacks occurred in the United States during New Year’s celebrations, while a mass shooting happened in Montenegro. As a result, dozens of people were killed and injured.
RBC-Ukraine has gathered details about the tragic events in the US and Montenegro and their consequences.
USA
Car drives into crowd in New Orleans
In New Orleans, a white Ford pickup truck sped into a crowd on Bourbon Street – a popular tourist spot for New Year’s celebrations. After the collision, the driver exited the vehicle and opened fire, prompting police to respond with gunfire. Two policemen were injured during the shooting, ABC News reports.
Authorities believe the driver deliberately targeted the crowd to cause maximum harm. According to the latest reports, 15 people were killed, and 35 were injured, most of them locals. The attacker was reportedly killed during the shootout.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the incident a terrorist attack. The FBI stated it is investigating the events as a terrorist act, though initially, the Bureau did not classify the incident as terrorism.
New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect “intended to harm as many people as possible.” According to her, the individual was “obsessed with causing bloodshed and harm.”
The FBI identified the suspect as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas who had previously served in Afghanistan. Investigators confirmed he was born in the United States and held citizenship by birth.
Officials found an ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ed.) flag in the suspect’s vehicle. He had bypassed improvised barriers near the sidewalk and driven into the crowded district. Authorities are investigating whether the attack was carried out with accomplices and are examining potential ties between the suspect and terrorist groups.
Police discovered weapons and a potential explosive device in the car, as well as two other possible explosive devices in the French Quarter, which were later defused.
According to US President Joe Biden, the attacker had posted a video on social media indicating he was inspired by ISIS ideology and driven by a “desire to kill.”
Photo: Part of the French Quarter is blocked off after the mass killing of people (Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump, who will become US president this month, also reacted to the extraordinary event. On social media, he called the incident in New Orleans “an act of pure evil.”
Local authorities, in turn, urged citizens to avoid the Bourbon Street area. Meanwhile, world leaders are expressing their support for the Americans en masse.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the social network X that “Ukraine is shocked by the news of the attack in New Orleans, which killed innocent people and injured many more.” He expressed hope that those responsible for this terrible attack would be brought to justice.
Explosion of Tesla Cybertruck near Trump Hotel in Las Vegas
Just hours after the New Orleans attack, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded and caught fire near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The incident resulted in the death of the driver and injuries to seven others.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill reported that the vehicle had been rented through the car-sharing service Turo in Colorado. While the identity of the renter was established, it was not immediately confirmed whether he was the driver who died in the incident.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk provided video evidence to investigators showing the vehicle parked in the Trump Hotel parking lot for 15–20 seconds before the explosion.
Musk believes the explosion could have been a terrorist attack. In particular, he drew attention to the fact that the Ford pickup truck that drove into the crowd in New Orleans and this Tesla Cybertruck were rented through the same vehicle rental platform.
Tesla’s internal investigation suggested that the explosion was caused by fireworks or a bomb in the cabin and was unrelated to the vehicle itself.
However, Sheriff McMahill stated that police would investigate any connection between the two events. Which is what Biden talked about when speaking on television on Wednesday evening.
Police discovered pyrotechnics and gasoline canisters in the electric vehicle. Surveillance footage showed the car passing the Trump Hotel an hour before the explosion, then returning, parking by the entrance, and exploding seconds later.
As of now, law enforcement has not yet found a connection between these incidents. The FBI, however, believes that the Cybertruck explosion was an isolated incident and no longer poses a threat to the public, CNN reports.
According to McMahill, pyrotechnics and gasoline canisters were indeed found in the electric car. After reviewing surveillance footage, police also determined that the vehicle drove past the Trump Hotel an hour before the explosion, then turned around, stopped at the entrance – and within seconds, caught fire and exploded.
This morning, KTNV-TV reported that police had identified the suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck bombing in Las Vegas as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, who previously served in the US Army.
The channel, citing federal sources, added that because the suspect in Las Vegas and the suspect in the deadly attack in New Orleans served in the military, the FBI is investigating a connection between them.
Shooting near nightclub in New York City
Another incident occurred in New York City on January 1. Around 11:20 p.m. local time, a mass shooting took place outside a nightclub called Amazura, located near the Jamaica Long Island Rail Road station in Queens.
The New York Post, citing sources and the NYPD, reported that at least 11 people, mostly teenagers, were injured. A group of four men fired approximately 30 shots into a crowd leaving the club after a private event.
Victims were taken to local hospitals, with none in critical condition. The Amazura nightclub, with a capacity of 4,000, regularly hosts DJ performances and live events.
Police are searching for a gray Infiniti in connection with the shooting and have identified a white BMW that may have been involved. The suspects remain unidentified.
Montenegro
Massacre in Cetinje
A terrible event also occurred on January 1 in Montenegro, where at least 12 people, including two children, were killed in a shooting in the city of Cetinje. Four others were injured. Preliminary reports suggest a domestic dispute in a local bar triggered the tragedy.
The attacker has been identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović. According to a report by the local media RTCG, Martinović was known for his odd behavior and had previously been detained for illegal possession of weapons. In 2005, he received a suspended one-year sentence for aggressive behavior but was not treated as a security threat.
In 2022, Martinović was found in possession of weapons and explosives, for which he was sentenced to three months in prison.
Preliminary information indicates that on January 1, 2025, after quarreling with one of the visitors at the bar, Martinović went home, retrieved a weapon, returned, and shot the bar owner and several other people. He then continued his shooting spree in the streets.
According to the local prosecutor’s office, the killings occurred in five different locations around the city. Among the victims were members of Martinović’s own family and the family of the bar owner, including two children.
The suspect fled the crime scene and attempted to take his own life during his capture. He died of his injuries on the way to the hospital.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, reacted to the tragedy, expressing that he was “shocked and overwhelmed” by the events.
“Instead of festive joy… we are enveloped in grief over the loss of innocent lives,” Milatović wrote on social media platform X.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić visited the hospital where the injured were being treated and declared three days of mourning from January 2 to 4, canceling all public events.
Media reports noted that Montenegro, a small country with a population of about 620,000, has a culture of carrying firearms, and many people carry them regularly.
The January 1, 2025, shooting is the second such incident in Cetinje in recent years. In August 2022, another attacker killed 10 people before being shot dead by a passerby.
Spajić announced that the National Security Council would convene to discuss, among other measures, the complete prohibition of firearm ownership.
Earlier, on the evening of December 20, a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people, including a 9-year-old child, and injuring more than 200 others (including a Ukrainian victim).
Authorities are investigating the detained driver – a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian psychiatrist. He has lived in Germany for nearly two decades and was arrested at the scene. Police have not disclosed the suspect’s name, but German journalists identified him as Taleb A.
Sources: ABC News, CNN, BBC, KTNV-TV, New York Post, RTCG.
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