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The Cost of Russia’s Friendship With Azerbaijan

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Azerbaijan has managed to achieve something thought to be impossible in the post-Soviet space: the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers ahead of time, and seemingly without angering Moscow. In fact, even as peacekeepers were leaving the long-disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that was seized by Baku following a one-day war with Armenia in 2023, Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev was visiting Moscow. Neither Russian officials nor Russian propaganda outlets have accused Baku of pushing Russia out of the South Caucasus. Instead, they blame Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for recognizing Azerbaijan’s 1991 borders and placing too much trust in Brussels and Washington.

Nevertheless, the warm rhetoric between Baku and Moscow does not mean that they are now close allies. It likely indicates the Kremlin has realized the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh is resolved, and that it does not want to jeopardize relations with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has shown that, with a certain combination of military and diplomatic effort, it is possible to both resolve a territorial conflict in defiance of Moscow, and eject the Russian military. For a long time, the conventional wisdom was that once Russia deploys peacekeepers, they will remain in place for a long time—like in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, or Moldova’s pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria. But Nagorno-Karabakh has bucked this trend. Even if Russia had wanted to see its peacekeepers stationed there for many years, in the end they were obliged to leave in short order having achieved very little.

The withdrawal represents the final failure of Russia’s model for a solution to the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, which envisaged peacekeepers staying there more or less permanently. When Azerbaijan seized the region and the local Karabakh Armenians fled en masse to Armenia, Moscow initially tried to find a new role for its peacekeepers. One option was for them to be based in Armenia as part of a mission from the Moscow-led security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. However, with many in Armenia blaming Moscow for Azerbaijan’s victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan publicly refused to accept Russian peacekeepers.

Russia even tried to argue that the peacekeepers needed to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh to help with de-mining. But de-mining obviously does not require 2,000 soldiers and 400 vehicles. Most of Russia’s 15th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Alexandria Brigade, which provided the peacekeepers, is already fighting in Ukraine, and the rest will now likely join them.

Even having withdrawn its peacekeepers without winning any concessions from Baku, Moscow remains frozen out of Armenia–Azerbaijan negotiations. Moscow and Baku may both criticize Yerevan for its attempts to cozy up to the West, but there is no sign of Russian diplomacy in the South Caucasus intensifying, or of Moscow working closely with Baku. Instead, Yerevan and Baku have recently entered into a direct dialogue—and so far quite successfully.

A recent deal between Yerevan and Baku to transfer control of four border villages to Azerbaijan, and the erection of the first border markers between the two countries took place without any Russian participation. The “no Russia, no West” approach in Armenia–Azerbaijan relations that was adopted last year is already looking like it could be workable.

In particular, a consensus that the two sides will seek to agree on a common border based on the Alma-Ata Protocols of 1991 (which regulated the breakup of the Soviet Union) is cause for optimism. This should prevent Azerbaijan from seeking to impose a border based on maps from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s when the Azerbaijan republic within the Soviet Union was somewhat larger.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan continues to criticize Armenia for trying to strengthen its armed forces, and the topic of the so-called Zangezur Corridor—a proposed transport route through Armenia connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan—remains a flashpoint. In other words, while Yerevan and Baku have managed to reach agreement on something without external mediation, it could turn out to be temporary window dressing. Either way, though, it’s unlikely Russia will be able to return to its previous role as an influential intermediary.

Russian pro-war Telegram channels regularly criticize Baku for pro-Kyiv sympathies—and even pro-regime media outlets in Azerbaijan have published articles about Azerbaijani volunteers fighting against Russia in Ukraine. There is also much anger in Russia over rumors that Azerbaijan is supplying weapons to Ukraine. But Moscow is trying hard to avoid any friction in relations with Azerbaijan.

One of the main reasons Moscow was unable—or unwilling—to extract something from Baku in exchange for the withdrawal of its peacekeepers was that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s subsequent international isolation has significantly reduced Moscow’s leverage. It is now less willing to risk jeopardizing relations with its neighbors.

For example, Russian exports of oil and gas through Azerbaijan rose significantly after Russia lost access to much of the European market following the invasion of Ukraine. This means that in winter, Azerbaijan can export more of its own gas and meet internal demand with Russian gas. Similarly, Russian oil exports to Azerbaijan quadrupled in 2023. In both cases, the total volume of exports is not huge, but the war in Ukraine means it is of disproportionate significance for Moscow.

Azerbaijan has also become an irreplaceable partner for Russia when it comes to transporting goods to and from Iran and the ports of the Persian Gulf. It’s no coincidence that transport along the North–South Corridor was one of the main points of discussion between Putin and Aliyev at their April 22 meeting in Moscow.

It would be illogical for Moscow to risk all this by picking a fight with Baku, particularly as the issue of peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh was one of principle. Even if the Russian soldiers had stayed in the region until 2025 or even 2030, they would not have been able to change the facts on the ground. On the contrary, they would only have been a reminder of how Moscow has been sidelined from the negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.

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US restricts helicopter flights after Washington crash, 'black boxes' recovered

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  • Summary
  • Companies
  • Black boxes recovered from plane, helicopter
  • Investigators interview air traffic controller
  • Deadliest US air disaster in two decades
  • Trump said helicopter was flying too high

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities restricted helicopter flights near Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday, after a midair collision between an American Airlines

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passenger jet and a military helicopter killed 67 people this week.

Investigators were able on Friday to recover the helicopter's black box, which captures flight data and voices in the cockpit, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said at an afternoon briefing.

The information from the box, along with the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the CRJ700 airplane, could help authorities piece together what happened just before the two aircraft collided on Wednesday night and plunged into Washington's freezing Potomac River in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in two decades.

The board has also conducted interviews with air traffic controllers, Inman said, including the lone controller working inside Reagan's tower at the time of the crash on Wednesday.

Authorities have not identified a cause, and Inman said the board would not engage in speculation before completing its investigation.

"The NTSB is an independent, bipartisan board - 58 years as the gold standard. Our job is to find the facts, but more importantly, our job is to make sure this tragedy doesn't happen again, regardless of what anyone may be saying," Inman said, adding that he had not spoken to President Donald Trump or anyone at the White House.

Separately, a medevac plane crashed near a shopping mall in Philadelphia on Friday evening with a child and five others aboard, the plane's air ambulance company said, adding that it had not confirmed any survivors.

Following the Washington crash, the FAA sharply restricted helicopter flights near Reagan to reduce the risk of another collision, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier on Friday, confirming news first reported by Reuters.

Duffy said the decision "will immediately help secure the airspace near Reagan Airport, ensuring the safety of airplane and helicopter traffic."

The FAA is barring most helicopters from parts of two routes near the airport and only allowing police and medical helicopters, air defense and presidential air transport in the area between the airport and nearby bridges.

The restrictions will last at least until the NTSB releases a preliminary report into the fatal collision, which typically takes 30 days. At that point they will be reviewed, Duffy said.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline would work with the government "to make our aviation system even safer."

Crews have recovered 41 bodies thus far, officials said.

Pulling the debris from the Potomac River will begin "in earnest" on Sunday, Inman said, an effort that will likely last all week.

Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly told reporters that 28 bodies have been positively identified and that he expected all victims would eventually be recovered.

Item 1 of 7 An American Eagle plane departs the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as search and rescue teams work nearby, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

[1/7]An American Eagle plane departs the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as search and rescue teams work nearby, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 31, 2025.... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

The American Airlines plane was trying to land when it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, killing all 60 passengers and four crew members aboard. Two of the three service members killed in the helicopter were identified Friday.

QUESTIONS ABOUT SAFETY

The crash has shone a spotlight on concerns about air safety and a shortage of tower controllers at the heavily congested airport that serves the U.S. capital.

The FAA is about 3,000 controllers behind staffing targets. The agency said in 2023 that it had 10,700 certified controllers, about the same as a year earlier.

One controller rather than two was handling local plane and helicopter traffic on Wednesday at the airport, a situation deemed "not normal" but considered adequate for lower volumes of traffic, according to a person briefed on the matter. Duffy on Thursday vowed to reform the FAA.

Airspace is crowded around the Washington area, home to three commercial airports, multiple military bases and some senior government officials who are ferried around by helicopter.

Over a three-year period ending in 2019, there was an average of 80 helicopter flights per day within 30 miles (48 km) of Reagan National Airport, with the majority either military or law enforcement flights, according to a 2021 Government Accountability Office report.

The helicopter's path has also drawn scrutiny. The military said the maximum altitude for the route the helicopter was taking is 200 feet (61 meters) but the collision occurred at an altitude of around 300 feet, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Trump weighed in on Friday, saying that the helicopter involved in the crash was flying too high.

"The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit" Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, questioned the safety of military and commercial flights separated by as little as 350 feet (107 m) vertically and horizontally.

Radio communications showed that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approaching jet and ordered it to change course.

The pilot of the American Eagle Flight 5342 had about six years of flying experience, according to the airline's CEO. The Bombardier jet was operated by PSA Airlines, a regional subsidiary.

Terry Liercke, vice president of Reagan National, said two of the airport's three runways were expected to remain closed for a week. The main runway at Reagan, which will stay open, handles about 90% of the airport's flights and is the busiest single runway in the United States.

The crash victims included people from Russia, China, Germany and the Philippines, as well as young figure skaters returning from an elite national training camp in Kansas, the state from which the passenger flight took off.

Get weekly news and analysis on U.S. politics and how it matters to the world with the Reuters Politics U.S. newsletter. Sign up here.

Reporting by David Shepardson, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Costas Pitas; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Bianca Flowers and Brad Brooks; Editing by Scott Malone, Gerry Doyle, Mark Porter, Nia Williams, Sandra Maler and Himani Sarkar

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'We have a lost aircraft': Philadelphia air traffic control detected problem before crash

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Air traffic controllers knew there was a problem moments before the deadly Friday night crash of a Medevac jet in Philadelphia that also injured over a dozen people on the ground.

The cause for the crash is not yet known. The Learjet 55 departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport at about 6:30 p.m. ET bound for Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, and the pilot did not mention any problems in recorded air traffic control communications.

But the air traffic control tower caught on that there was an issue, the recordings suggest. “Medevac med service zero-five-six, northeast tower, are you on frequency?” a controller asks almost four minutes after the jet's takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport in an audio file downloaded from liveatc.net.Then, a request for response from the aircraft is repeated by the controller. About five minutes later, another voice comes on the radio asking, "What's going on down there?""We have a lost aircraft," the operator responds. "We're not exactly sure what happened, so we're trying to figure it out. For now, the field is going to be closed, so no inbounds or outbounds, probably," the operator responds.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators were arriving at the crash site, said the Federal Aviation Administration, which will assist with the probe.

DC plane crash:Search for bodies continues; officials to remove aircraft from Potomac

Philadelphia plane crash victims

Aboard the plane was one pediatric patient, the child's mother and four crew members, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said. All six were from Mexico and were reported dead, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday morning on X.

The plane crashed near the Roosevelt Mall at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, a busy hub with dozens of businesses and hundreds of homes. The crash caused an explosion scatting debris, setting some homes and cars on fire and injuring some people on the ground, officials said.

Officials on Saturday morning confirmed an additional fatality: One person who was in their car when the medical flight crashed to the ground. At the time, they said 19 others have been injured but there could be others.

Philadelphia plane crash: Air traffic control recording hints at problem

The audio file on the air traffic broadcasting website includes more than 30 minutes of communications between the tower employees and crew on the plane. Air traffic controllers can be heard giving the plane approval to depart.

Tower employees give instructions to switch frequencies after the successful takeoff. A pilot acknowledges and switches radio frequencies.

Approximately a minute later, one controller makes another request for the plane to contact the tower, followed by about 30 seconds of silence. Within minutes, they realize there is an issue and shut down the airfield.

Where was the Medevac jet that crashed headed?

The aircraft with four crew members and two passengers – a young girl, who had been treated at Shriners Children's Philadelphia, and her mother – were headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.

The child was on her way home with a final destination of Tijuana, Shai Gold, who works on corporate strategy with Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told CNN on Friday.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Contributing: Minnah Arshad, Shane Brennan, Jo Ciavaglia and Karissa Waddick; and Reuters.

Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider &@mikegsnider.bsky.social &@mikesnider.

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What we know about the victims of the medical jet crash in Northeast Philly

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A medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother and four others slammed into a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, creating a massive explosion that caused fires and damage throughout the area.

The plane crashed 30 seconds after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights. 

While officials have not yet released the identities of the victims of the crash, they did reveal more details about who they were and why they were on the aircraft. 

The plane was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, Missouri. From there it would have traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, for its final destination. 

Shai Gold, a spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance – the plane’s operator – told NBC10 the six people on board included a girl, her mother, a pilot, copilot, doctor and paramedic. 

The child who was on board had received treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia for a life-threatening condition, Gold said. 

"All I can say is, the patient was sponsored by a third-partner charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the U.S.," Gold said. "She did her course of care. She was going home. She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately, this tragedy on the way home."

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Spokesperson for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance talks about crash in Northeast Philly

NBC10's Claudia Vargas spoke with Jet Rescue Air Ambulance about the small plane that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday. 

Shriners spokesperson Mel Bower told NBC10 the girl had just been released from the hospital on Friday. 

“I know that the team there in Philadelphia today had a sendoff for her,” he said. “It’s always a meaningful but yet emotional time for us. It’s really just been compounded by the tragic ending.” 

Due to privacy laws, neither Gold nor Bower could reveal the child’s identity. Bower spoke about the impact the crash has had on the hospital’s staff, however. 

“It’s devastating news. All of our patients are like family to us. It’s not just about the care that they received. It is the whole experience of working with them and their families,” he said. “The care that they receive is much more than just clinical. It is very devastating to us. All of our patients are very dear to us and to have such a tragedy happen, it’s just so hard for all of us. Every child deserves to live their best life and that’s our goal. And to see one end so tragically is just heartbreaking.”

In addition to the six people on board the jet, six others who were on the ground were injured during the crash. They were all taken to Temple University Hospital's Jeanes Campus. Three of those victims were treated and released while three others remain in the hospital, a source told NBC10. Officials have not yet revealed their conditions.

The victims include an 11-year-old boy who suffered head injuries, a 31-year-old man who suffered head injuries and a 30-year-old woman who suffered facial injuries, according to the source.

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All six victims of Philly plane crash were Mexican citizens, Mexican president says

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New view of destruction as investigation begins into deadly Northeast Philadelphia plane crash

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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The crash and resulting explosion of a medical transport jet in Northeast Philadelphia left a massive impact on the surrounding neighborhood, and the scope of the devastation started to become more clear on Saturday.

All six people on board the plane are dead and an unknown number of people on the ground were injured after Friday's crash.

Action News is getting a new view of the destruction after a deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia

A large fire burned in the wake of the crash, prompting a significant response. Vehicles, homes and even people in the area could be seen on fire.

Action News is getting a new look Saturday morning at the destruction that spans several blocks. A crater can be seen in the roadway where the medical jet made impact.

Chopper 6 was overhead, where charred vehicles and burned buildings could be seen as federal investigators arrived to examine the scene.

Video of the crash quickly began circulating on social media, many showing graphic images from the scene.

Debris from the crash is being found up to a quarter mile away from the impact site.

New video even shows one man sitting inside a diner being struck by debris.

Video from inside a diner show people ducking for cover as debris flies from the plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia.

Mayor Cherelle Parker is urging residents to stay away from the scene and to call 911 if they find any debris.

"We're just asking for prayers," she told reporters.

The plane was carrying a child, her mother and four other people, went down near the Roosevelt Mall around 6:10 p.m.

The Learjet 55 crashed near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to authorities. The flight was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri with a final destination in Mexico when it went down.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, confirmed Saturday that all six on board the plane were killed.

"I regret the death of six Mexicans in the plane crash in Philadelphia, United States. The consular authorities are in permanent contact with the families; I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support them in whatever way is required. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends," she said in a post on X.

Shriners Children's Hospital confirmed to Action News that the child on board had received care from the hospital and was being taken back to her home country of Mexico, along with her mother, when the crash happened.

A shelter is available for residents at Samuel Fels High School located on the 5500 block of Langdon Street, the mayor said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

An NTSB investigator arrived at the scene Friday night with additional team members expected to arrive Saturday.

Speaking at a follow-up press briefing Friday night, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said dozens of state troopers and other state personnel were on hand to offer help and praised local responders and community members.

"We saw neighbor helping neighbor. We saw Pennsylvanians looking out for one another," he said.

Moment of impact: Plane crash caught on multiple videos in Northeast Philadelphia

Multiple cameras captured the plane crash and explosion in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday night.

In a statement posted to social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: "So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all."

There was a temporary ground stop after the crash but that has since been lifted. However, Atlantic Aviation is closed.

The Philadelphia plane crash comes just days after 67 people died after an American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. The DC plane crash marks the first major commercial crash in the U.S. in more than 15 years.

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