Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK condemns ‘reckless’ Kremlin after Putin’s apology over Azerbaijan Airlines crash
The UK has called for an independent investigation into the downing of an Azerbaijani plane thought to have been caused by a Russian missile
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Your support makes all the difference.The UK foreign office has criticised Russia after President Vladimir Putin apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart over a plane crash in Russian airspace that left dozens dead.
Mr Putin said he was sorry “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace” during a call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Saturday.
But Mr Putin stopped short of admitting Russian responsibility for the crash, which killed 38 people.
In response, a spokesperson for the UK foreign, commonwealth and development office demanded a full independent investigation into what happened.
A spokesperson said: “President Putin’s statement fails to recognise that the reckless and irresponsible actions of the Russian state pose an acute and direct threat to the interests and national security of other states.”
Flight J2-8243 crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.
The US has suggested that Russia could be responsible for the downing of the plane, while sources in Azerbaijan claimed Russian air defence missiles hit the plane.
Putin apologises for ‘tragic’ Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash but does not take responsibility
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Azerbaijan Airlines crash: was this another military shoot-down of a civil aircraft?
Russia plays down speculation over cause of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan
Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia
Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralised by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all.
Battles are so intense that some Ukrainian commanders can’t evacuate the dead. Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack, seven frontline soldiers and commanders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.
Since being caught unaware by the lightning Ukrainian incursion, Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops in the region, including some from its ally North Korea. Precise numbers are hard to obtain, but Moscow’s counterattack has killed and wounded thousands and the overstretched Ukrainians have lost more then 40 per cent of the 984 sq km (380 sq miles) of Kursk they seized in August.
Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia
Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk
Kitten named Peach saves life of Ukrainian man fleeing war
Kitten named Peach saves life of Ukrainian man fleeing war
The man was rescued deep in the freezing mountains of Romania
As Trump returns to the White House, and Putin’s forces advance – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
After nearly three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the future of the country’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s forces is more uncertain than ever.
Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the US presidential race, off the back of promises to end the war in Eastern Europe in 24 hours – seemingly even if that means forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Russia – appears to spell the end of the West’s long-held policy of helping Ukraine to defeat Putin entirely. Negotiations with Russia, after years of silence, are back on the agenda.
This is causing significant stress in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. As Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian opposition leader, puts it: “The world needs to understand how crucial it is not to end the war on any idea of negotiating with Russia.”
As Trump returns to the White House – what next for Ukraine in 2025?
Ukraine is facing an array of issues heading into 2025, underscored by anxiety about what the re-election of Donald Trump could mean for the country’s future. Tom Watling speaks to politicians, military experts and aid workers to discover what next year could hold
‘I have to be here. My family understands’: Christmas on the frontline with Ukraine’s drone brigade
In the two years since its formation, Ukraine’s 13th National Guard Brigade – called “Khartiya” – has gained a reputation not only for prowess in battle but also for its culture of respect and innovative approach to technology.
Khartiya helped to halt Russian forces who launched a surprise incursion last May that threatened to overwhelm Kharkiv, from where many of its original members come.
The brigade was deployed to confront the Russian incursion around the village of Lyptsi, north of Ukraine’s second-largest city, last June; the forested area has since been a pivotal battleground.
Christmas on the frontline with Ukraine’s drone brigade
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Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says the fight to hold the eastern region of Dontesk has become ‘extremely tough’
China’s Xi to visit Russia in 2025, Russian ambassador says
China’s president Xi Jinping will visit Russia in 2025, Russia’s state-run RIA news agency quoted Moscow’s ambassador to Beijing as saying.
“As for concrete bilateral events, I can say that the appropriate plans are actively being drawn up,” Ambassador Igor Morgulov told RIA yesterday.
“What can be said that is no secret, in terms of priority, is that the chairman of the People’s Republic of China is expected in Russia next year.”
At a regular press conference, China’s foreign ministry did not confirm the visit, but reiterated that the two countries maintained close contacts at all levels.
Russian president Vladimir Putin visited China in February 2022, proclaiming a “no limits” partnership days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. He was in Beijing again last May, after his re-election by a landslide, welcoming a “new era” of relations focusing on opposition to US policy.
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
Russia has warned it “rules out nothing” regarding nuclear testing in response to Donald Trump’s “radical” position on the issue during his first term as president.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control, warned the United States that its nuclear arsenal is intended to “sober up” countries on the “brink of direct armed conflict” with Russia.
Russia, the US and China are all undertaking major modernisations of their nuclear weapons just as the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) of the Cold War era between the Soviet Union and the US is starting to fall apart.
Russia warns ‘radical’ Donald Trump against resuming nuclear testing
Ministers warned the US that its nuclear arsenal is intended to ‘sober up’ countries on the ‘brink of direct armed conflict’ with Russia
North Korean soldier captured in Ukraine died from injuries, says South Korea
South Korea’s spy agency said that a North Korean soldier who was captured alive in Ukraine has died from his injuries, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Yonhap earlier reported yesterday that the agency had confirmed that a North Korean soldier dispatched to fight for Russia had been captured by Ukrainian forces.
Russia says it has taken two more east Ukrainian villages
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had taken control of two eastern Ukrainian villages, Ivanivka in the Donetsk region, and Zahryzove in the Kharkiv region, the RIA state news agency reported.
The ministry also claimed it had downed four British-made Storm Shadow missiles in the past week.
Ukraine sends food aid to Syria, says Zelensky
Ukraine, a global producer and exporter of grain and oilseeds, has sent its first batch of food aid to Syria, president Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday.
Mr Zelensky said that 500 metric tons of wheat flour were already on their way to Syria as part of Ukraine‘s humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine“ initiative in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Programme.
“The wheat flour is planned to be distributed to 33,250 families or 167,000 people, in the coming weeks,” he said on X, adding: “Each package weighs 15 kilograms and can feed a family of five for one month.”
After the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally, Ukraine has said it wants to restore relations with Syria. Kyiv traditionally exports wheat and corn to countries in the Middle East, but not to Syria.
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