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3 days ago

Ukraine-Russia war live: Moscow plotted terror attacks on airlines around world, Poland PM Tusk claims

The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe

Arpan Rai,Jabed Ahmed
Wednesday 15 January 2025 15:52 GMT
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Russia of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included “acts of air terror” against airlines.

Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Tusk said: “I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world.”

The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe.

Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put explosives in packages on cargo planes headed to the US, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year.

Azerbaijan accused Russia of unintentionally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas day, killing 38 people. Mr Putin apologised but stopped short of accepting responsibility.

It comes as Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in the latest strike on the country’s hobbled power system as it approaches mid-winter. 

5 days ago

Russia’s Sovcomflot says new US sanctions create operational difficulties

Russia's leading tanker group, Sovcomflot, said that new US sanctions would create additional operational difficulties and accused the West of undermining the global system of merchant shipping.

"The company's vessels do not belong to the 'shadow fleet'", Sovcomflot said.

"The sanctions against Sovcomflot are not motivated by violations on the part of the company and have no legal basis, they are motivated solely by the political interests of individual countries, including the United States."

Sovcomflot is the largest shipping company in Russia, and a major tanker operator.

"The introduction of new sanctions against Sovcomflot vessels creates additional operational difficulties," it said.

"Sovcomflot continues to work systematically to minimise the negative impact of the sanctions on its operations. At the same time, the company will continue to adhere to high standards of safety and quality of maritime operations and comply with all applicable laws and requirements," it said.

US President Joe Biden's administration imposed its broadest package of sanctions so far targeting Russia's oil and gas revenues on Friday.

The US Treasury identified 69 Sovcomflot vessels - including 54 oil and product tankers and four liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers - that are blocked.

Jabed Ahmed14 January 2025 09:16
5 days ago

Watch live: Russian foreign minister holds news conference as Moscow reports Ukrainian strikes

Watch live: Russian foreign minister speaks as Moscow reports Ukrainian strikes

Watch live as Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov holds a news conference on Tuesday, 14 January, as Moscow officials and media report that multiple regions in the country came under a major drone and ballistic missile attack overnight.

Jabed Ahmed14 January 2025 08:42

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