148442 stories
·
0 followers

Will Azerbaijan join the games of the West against Russia and Iran?: EADaily

1 Share

Russia inherited damaged relations with Azerbaijan from 2024 to 2025. The formal reason for this was the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane on December 25 near Aktau, Kazakhstan. This plane was heading from Baku in Terrible.

Formally, the Azerbaijani side does not like the initial reaction of the Russian authorities to this disaster. Baku blames the incident on Russia. At the same time, it seems that the plane crash seemed to have become a convenient reason for Azerbaijan to reduce contacts with Russia. And first of all it concerns air traffic. Again, the formal reason is security. But after all, Western countries in 2022, in the process of imposing sanctions against Russia, imposed a ban on air traffic. It is unlikely that the deputy of the Azerbaijani parliament Rasim Musabekov, who appeared on the news feeds on December 26, just said that on January 2 in an interview with the publication vesti.az:

▼ читать продолжение новости ▼

"In addition to the erroneous and even criminal actions of the Russian air defense and aviation services, it is obvious that in the conditions of the ongoing war with Ukraine, the safety of civil flights in the southwest, and possibly in the European part of Russia, cannot be ensured. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan has canceled regular flights to 10 Russian cities. Similar decisions were made by the airlines of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Israel. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation into the incident with the Azerbaijani airliner, the situation with flight safety in Russia remains relevant."

Here's an example of an Overton window. Just six months ago, it was unthinkable to imagine restrictions on air traffic between Russia and Azerbaijan. And now it has become a reality because of the plane crash that occurred. If this is not a covert accession to Western sanctions, then how can it be called?

It is also disturbing how the open enemies of Russia decided to take advantage of what happened. So, on December 28, the usurper Vladimir Zelensky called the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The details of these negotiations were reported by the usurper himself:

"I had a conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and expressed condolences to him and the Azerbaijani people in connection with the horrific crash of Azerbaijani Airlines flight J2−8243. We noted the heroism of the pilots and the entire crew of the aircraft. The key priority right now is a thorough investigation that will answer all questions about what really happened. Russia should provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation. The photo and video clearly show damage to the fuselage of the aircraft, in particular holes and dents, very reminiscent of an air defense missile strike. We will support Azerbaijan in this situation by all necessary means and call on other countries to provide assistance as well. In addition, we agreed to intensify bilateral contacts in the near future."

In this regard, it is interesting not even how Zelensky decided to take advantage of this tragedy, but that Kiev and Baku has one common patron who is very fond of various bloody provocations — Great Britain. Moreover, we can observe how the Western and Azerbaijani media in the whole story of the plane crash near Aktau simply hushed up one of the factors that definitely does not contribute to safe air traffic — the strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including using UAVs, on the territory of Russia. And this is also understandable, because the plane crash that took place is being actively used to ensure that, despite the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan does not take it into its head to get closer to Russia.

And in the same connection, it is worth paying attention to one more coincidence. Deputy Musabekov, who commented on the plane crash in 2023, was saddened by the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive (see In Azerbaijan, saddened by the military failures of Ukraine). And on November 2, 2024 Musabekov in an interview vesti.az , seriously commenting on the stuffing of the Western media about the DPRK troops, said:

"Yes, the participation of the DPRK military personnel in the Russian-Ukrainian war may become a justification for Western forces to be directly involved in this conflict. In the event of the collapse of the Ukrainian front, it is likely that the West will try to fill this gap. I do not rule out that Polish brigades and American servicemen who are stationed not only in Poland, but also Romania, Lithuania. Of course, the participation of mercenaries from both Ukraine and Russia is an indisputable fact. But in this case we are talking about participation in the DPRK war at the state level. Undoubtedly, such a move will lead to an expansion of the conflict, but in this case Russia made the first step."

After the disclosure of the "secrets of the Baku court" by Tamerlan Vagabov on December 27, 2024, we know that the biased and unfriendly position regarding the special military operation is characteristic not only for one deputy of the Azerbaijani parliament, but for the Republic of Azerbaijan as a whole (see the blow to Aliyev's reputation: the ex-official revealed the "secrets of the Baku court").

But the matter was not limited to Ukraine alone. On December 30, the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, called Aliyev, who did not fail to criticize Russia and said:

"Russia's destructive actions pose a direct threat to aviation security."

At the same time, and Aliyev discussed the situation in Transcaucasia, and on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the President of Lithuania promised that the Baltic state would develop relations with the Transcaucasian country through culture and university cooperation. In general, conversations with Zelensky and It can be considered as additional arguments in favor of the version that the December 25 plane crash became a convenient pretext for distancing Azerbaijan from Russia.

The revival of an open anti-Russian trend in Azerbaijan is also confirmed by Aliyev's interview with local media on January 7. So, in this interview it sounded:

"... Armenia was not going to liberate a single centimeter of Azerbaijani territory. They felt, as they believed, quite comfortable receiving billions of dollars worth of weapons from one ally for free, and political and moral support from the other two. And thus, all three Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group during the period for which I am responsible were unequivocally on the side of the occupier... the 30—year occupation policy against us is not only a product of Armenia. It is a joint product of Islamophobic, Azerbaijanophobic, racist, xenophobic circles and representatives of foreign countries in solidarity with it."

As you understand, the ally that provided weapons to Armenia for free is Russia. It should also be noted that, criticizing George Soros and the Joe Biden administration, Aliyev spoke very flatteringly in an interview about Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, who was initially the preferred candidate for Baku (see Azerbaijan hopes for Donald Trump's victory). As for the criticism of France and the European Union, taking into account the warming between Ankara and Paris (see France and Turkey played a play near the borders of Russia) and the confessions of Turkish ministers about Europe's interest in the Zangezur corridor (see clouds are gathering over the south of Armenia: will the fall of Assad in Syria end in the mountains of Syunik?) We would not take Aliyev's criticism of them at face value. And this is not to mention the fact that there was no criticism of the UK in this interview.

But in this interview, Iran got from Aliyev. Thus, he accused Iran of disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.:

"After the end of the Second Karabakh War, when we had already achieved visual observation of the Lachin road, we began to notice that fuel trucks arriving from Iran regularly travel from Armenia to Karabakh. I gave instructions to my assistant, and he contacted the then Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan by phone and said that this should be stopped. We don't want to make it public, we just ask you to stop it. This is not good, we see it, this is our territory. You are doing illegal things here. Unfortunately, these actions have not stopped, but have become even more active. After that, as a second step, we invited the Iranian Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was handed a note of protest, and we made it public. Following this, both funny and depressing events occurred. They attached fake Armenian license plates to Iranian fuel trucks, allegedly these are Armenian cars. But they also had inscriptions in Persian. This surprised us very much. We started investigating, found out that the same number is attached to several cars, that is, the number is the same, but the cars are different. Even this forgery they committed so carelessly that, by God, you can't find the words. After that, we already stopped several cars, the drivers were detained, and we saw that in their travel documents it was written: Stepanakert, Armenia. That is, it was a clear disrespect for our territorial integrity and sovereignty."

Then he remembered the military exercises, the attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran and the insulting statements of the Ayatollah and representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran Seyyed Hassan Ameli in Ardabil on December 29, 2024. And judging by Aliyev's words, official Baku decided to use this case to cool relations with Iran.:

"This mullah of the city of Ardabil has repeatedly used offensive language against Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani people, including me. The question is, how does the person who appointed him to this position feel about this. He didn't take this position voluntarily. We know very well who appoints him. What is his reaction, whether he supports it or not, who will apologize to Azerbaijan? Will he apologize or not? The feeling of regret expressed in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran is not enough. There was a clear insult here: both the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan, and our peoples, and at an official live event. And just regret? This, of course, is unacceptable. Therefore, we believe that this provincial mullah should be punished. At the very least, he should be removed from his post and he should apologize to Azerbaijan. That's the question."

The plane crash and the insulting statements of the Iranian Ayatollah are two different events. However, in a striking way, Azerbaijan acts in both cases as if it wants to slow down, if not curtail cooperation with Russia and Iran. It may be objected to us that on January 8, during Aliyev's talks with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the international North-South transport corridor and trilateral cooperation in the Russia—Iran—Azerbaijan format were discussed.

But after all, despite the persuasions and persuasions from the United Kingdom and Israel, Azerbaijan cannot just abandon the North-South corridor and cooperation with Russia and Iran. He needs time for this. And if you also take into account the fact that Relations between Baku and Washington have always developed better under the Republicans, that is, there is a strong suspicion that Azerbaijan has already begun to prepare to withdraw from cooperation with Russia and Iran in order to join the ranks of the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom.

Read the whole story
· · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
16 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Armenia responds to Azerbaijan’s fascism accusation: They want to provoke tensions

1 Share

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Azerbaijan to cool tensions and to stick to dialogue instead of resorting to accusations and threats.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said on Tuesday that independent Armenia is a threat to the region and “a fascist state in its nature” in an interview with local media, reacting to the reform of Armenia’s army and its arms deals with France.

Responding, Pashinyan said: “Perhaps [Azeri capital] Baku is trying to “legitimize” the escalation in the region. They make aggressive statements in the hope of an aggressive response from [Armenian capital] Yerevan, which [in turn] allows Baku to make its [own] statements more aggressive.

“[When] combined with the spread of false information about the violation of the ceasefire by the Armenian army, [this will] form a “justification” for a new escalation in the region,” Pashinyan told Armenpress on Wednesday.

Aliyev and his government have been accused of stirring up ethnic hatred against Armenians. Azerbaijan has fought a series of wars against its neighbor since 2020. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces conquered the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking an exodus of its entire 100,000-strong ethnic Armenian population — drawing allegations of ethnic cleansing from Western NGOs and watchdogs.

Aliyev’s fascism claim came after the Azeri defense ministry accused the Armenian army of shooting at Azeri army positions on the southeastern border between the two states on Jan. 5. The Armenian Defense Ministry dismissed the accusations as disinformation in a statement on Sunday.

“[The] armament of Armenia will lead to new tensions. We don’t want that. We want peace … But independent Armenia is a fascist state at its core. Fascism must be destroyed by [the] Armenian leadership or we will do it ourselves,” Aliyev told local TV channels on Tuesday.

The two countries have been in a decades-long conflict since the fall of the Soviet Union. In recent years the U.S. and the EU have been pushing for a diplomatic solution amid hopes that a lasting peace deal can be signed.

 “We will not use the language of aggression, but the language of dialogue. We will continue to focus on demarcation, on agreeing on the text of the peace treaty, [and on an] agreement on humanitarian issues, including the problems of discovering the fate of the missing,” Pashinyan said.

Gabriel Gavin contributed reporting to this story.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
20 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’ introduced in US Congress as Zourabichvili prepares for Trump’s inauguration

1 Share

US media reported that the ‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’ is going to Congress as Salome Zourabichvili has accepted an invitation to attend president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Fox News reported that the ‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’, which prohibits recognition of the Georgian Dream government, was to be introduced in the US Congress on 8 January.

However, as of 9 January, the proposed legislation has not appeared on the congressional website.

The act is the latest in a series of decisions and statements that highlight the deterioration of relations between the US and the Georgian Dream government.

According to Fox News, which has obtained a copy of the proposed bill,  the legislation would prohibit the recognition or normalisation of relations ‘with any Government of Georgia that is led by Bidzina Ivanishvili or any proxies due to the Ivanishvili regime’s ongoing crimes against the Georgian people’.

‘Ivanishvili regime must remain isolated’

The bill states that ‘no federal official or employee may take any action, and no Federal funds may be made available, to recognize or otherwise imply, in any manner, United States recognition of Bidzina Ivanishvili or any government in Georgia’.

The bill has two sponsors: Republican Representative Joe Wilson and Democratic Representative Steve Cohen. Both are outspoken critics of Georgian Dream.

‘Sanctioned oligarch Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party has now become a tool of Putin’, Cohen, who coined the name of the bill, told Fox News.

‘They falsified the October election and illegally picked a pliable president’, he said, adding that ‘Until it agrees to free and fair elections, the Ivanishvili regime must remain fully isolated by all democratic governments’.

Another author of the bill, Joe Wilson, is also the author of the ‘Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act’, which was passed in February 2024. This act prohibited recognition or normalization of relations with the now-toppled Bashar al-Assad government in Syria. The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden last month.

‘We will pursue the same policy with the Ivanishvili regime’, Rep. Wilson told Fox News while comparing the ‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’ to the anti-Assad Act.

Georgian Dream still has yet to comment on the introduction of the new will, but in its lengthy statement published yesterday, the ruling party fiercely attacked its international critics, referring to Wilson as a ‘degraded politician with zero political culture’.

As Fox News noted, while it is the US president’s prerogative to recognise a government or leader, US lawmakers point to past precedents when Congress refused to recognise regimes it considered to be illegitimate. This includes cases like Russia's occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian territories, as well as the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states in 1940.

‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’ is not the only bill introduced to the new US Congress. Another document, The Mobilising and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI, or ‘friend’ in Georgian) Act was reintroduced in the Congress last week. Its sponsor is also Wilson.

The MEGOBARI Act was first introduced in May in response to Georgia’s foreign agent law. It mandates further sanctions against Georgian officials as well as funding for Georgian media and civil society.

Zourabichvili to attend Trump’s inauguration

Besides critical legislative initiatives and harsh social media posts, Wilson has also invited self-declared interim President Salome Zourabichvili to president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration scheduled for 20 January.

During the press conference held on Thursday, Zourabichvili confirmed her attendance at the event, stating that she’s going to have ‘high-level meetings’ there.

According to Fox News, Zourabichvili is mentioned in the ‘Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act’ as well. The proposed bill states that the US shall recognise her as ‘the incumbent President of Georgia prior to the fraudulent elections on October 26, 2024’, and as the only legitimate leader of the country.

Zourabichvili managed to speak personally with Trump in recent weeks ahead of his inauguration. Last month, during the ceremony for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, she met Trump alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. As she later stated, she ‘exposed the stolen election and extremely alarming repression against the people of Georgia’.

The US-Georgian relations have noticeably deteriorated amid the adoption of Russian-style laws, manipulated elections, the suspension of EU membership aspirations, and violence against anti-government demonstrators by Georgian authorities.

At the end of November, Washington suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, and in December, sanctions were imposed on the Georgian Dream’s honorary head Bidzina Ivanishvili and other senior officials of the party, as well as on Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri.

Prior to this, Washington had already sanctioned several influential Georgian judges, often referred to by critics as part of the ‘judicial clan’ close to the government. Sanctions were also imposed on Zviad Kharazishvili, the head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department, who played a key role in the brutal crackdown on participants of the ongoing protests.

Georgian Dream's rhetoric has become increasingly harsh towards those countries that criticise its governance and have imposed sanctions due to the backsliding of democracy.

In a lengthy statement published on 8 January, the ruling party attacked the states, institutions, and politicians that impose those sanctions, and referred to foreign critics as members of the ‘deep state network’.

At the same time, Georgian Dream officials have said publicly that they are looking forward to Trump’s inauguration in Washington. They have often referenced the president-elect's statements claiming that he will fight the ‘deep state’ and end Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, in which, according to Georgian Dream’s conspiracy theory, external forces from the ‘Global War Party’ have been attempting to drag Georgia into from the very beginning.

However, with Trump’s inauguration approaching, Georgian Dream has been trying to balance its stated expectations. In December, one of the party's leaders, Mamuka Mdinaradze, said, ‘We should neither be hopeless nor place excessive hopes on the period after 20  January’.

Read the whole story
· · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
21 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

The Blogs: Azerbaijan-Israel strategic partnership proves its worth

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
22 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Court of Appeal rejects complaints of those arrested in 'Toplum TV' case

1 Share

The Baku Court of Appeal on Thursday rejected the appeal against the extension of the detention of journalist Mushfig Jabbar, who was arrested in the 'Toplum TV' case.

As his lawyer Nazim Musayev told Turan, there are no material or procedural grounds for Jabbar's detention. Jabbar has nothing to do with the charges of "foreign currency smuggling" brought against him, because the journalist had not left the country for 7 years before his arrest.

The lawyer said that no primary evidence of Jabbar's guilt has been presented, and each time the investigation motivates the extension of the arrest by conducting an "expert examination" that is not be carried out.

Today, the Court of Appeal also rejected a complaint against the extension of the arrest of another person involved in the case, Ramin Babayev, an employee of the Institute of Democratic Initiatives. A day earlier, the complaints of Akif Gurbanov, speaker of the 'Platform III of the Republic', and Ilkin Amrakhov, an employee of the Institute of Democratic Initiatives, were not satisfied either.

The complaint of the founder of 'Toplum TV', Alesker Mammadli, was also not satisfied, despite serious health problems.

In the coming days, the appeals of two more defendants in this case will be considered - Ruslan Izzatli, a member of the 'Platform III of the Republic', and Ali Zeynalov, a 'Toplum TV' journalist.

*On March 6-8, 9 journalists and activists of 'Toplum TV' and its partner organization, the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, were detained. They were accused of smuggling foreign currency. Seven people were arrested, and two were placed under police supervision. The defendants in the case deny the charges. Human rights activists recognized those arrested as political prisoners. On December 27, the court extended their arrest until April 6.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
23 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Court sentences activist Rail Abbasov to 6.5 years of imprisonment.

1 Share

On January 9, the Baku Court of Serious Crimes completed the trial of activist Rail Abbasov, accused of fraud.

In his last statement, Abbasov said that he was arrested on far-fetched and trumped-up charges for defending his friend, human rights defender Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who was also unreasonably arrested. Abbasov cited numerous inconsistencies in his case as evidence of falsification of his case and asked the court to make a fair decision.

However, the court sentenced Abbasov to 6.5 years of imprisonment.

Earlier, the prosecutor requested that Abbasov be sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment.

*On September 20, 2023, the Nasimi Court of Baku arrested Abbasov for 4 months on charges under Article 178.3.2 (large-scale fraud) of the Criminal Code. Abbasov denies the accusation, considering his active participation in protecting the rights of activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who was arrested back in December 2022, to be the true reason. Human rights activists recognized both as political prisoners.

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
23 hours ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2

Armenia's government backs bill on launching EU accession process

1 Share

The Armenian government on Jan. 9 supported a draft law on initiating the country's accession process with the European Union, Armenia News reported.

The government "expressed a positive stance" on the bill, which was submitted as a citizens' initiative. It has been submitted to Armenia's parliament for consideration, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.

Yerevan has made an effort to build a closer relationship with the EU amid deteriorating ties with Russia, though the South Caucasus country is yet to submit a membership application.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed that even if the bill is passed, the accession process can start only if the Armenian people support it in a referendum.

"But if the law is adopted, we must have some idea about our next steps" and "discuss with the EU the road map that they imagine and that we imagine," Pashinyan said at a government meeting.

The prime minister noted that the bill should be approached without "undue enthusiasm" and that the country should currently focus on developing more practical steps, such as visa liberalization.

Speaking in the European Parliament in October 2023, Pashinyan said that his country is ready to align more closely with the bloc, though he later expressed doubts about whether Armenia is ready for full membership.

Pashinyan spoke in the EU's legislature shortly after Russia, Armenia's traditional ally, failed to prevent an Azerbaijani lighting offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to a rapid deterioration of ties between Yerevan and Moscow.

Last March, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging the EU's executive bodies to strengthen relations with Armenia. The parliament also said Armenia meets the Maastricht Treaty requirements to apply for membership.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
1 day ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Why does Aliyev bring up unimportant issues against Iran?

1 Share

In a lengthy interview with Azeri local media on Tuesday, President Aliyev reviewed the political and economic situation of his country and the developments in the region in 2024. In part of interview about the future of relations between Tehran and Baku, he brought up unimportant issues and stated that "relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan were deteriorated under the previous Iranian government, and we still do not have very serious relations under the new government; there have been contacts between the two countries, but they were mostly related to economic and transportation issues."

"The deterioration of ties were not our fault," the Azeri president later said, blaming the previous Iranian government for the the current state of relations. Aliyev claimed that the reason for the deteriorated relations between the two countries is Tehran, but even in an official interview yesterday, he once again, without providing any reason, highlighted the incident of the attack on the country's embassy in Tehran two years ago and the recent marginal issues in Ardabil, saying that he and the Turkish president were insulted and that "the Iranian Foreign Ministry's expression of regret was not enough and Tehran must officially apologize."

On  December 29, 2023, during the recent ceremony commemorating the "martyrs of the Chaldaran War and the martyrs of the Resistance Front" in Ardabil, one of the participants of the ceremony, who was not holding any official position, made statements against the leaders of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkey, which soon forced Ayatollah Seyyed Hassan Ameli, Friday prayer imam and representative of the Leader of the Islamic Republic in Ardabil province, to announce that "The inappropriate language that was used in one of the gatherings this week by an ordinary and unofficial person cannot be considered our official, religious, and belief language and the official position of the Islamic Republic, and such a relationship in the world of diplomacy is completely unconventional and controversial."

Recalling that "the enemies of the Iranian nation are seeking to destroy and undermine Iran's relations with its neighbors," he emphasized, "Everyone knows that the personal statements of individuals are by no means the official stance of any government in the world."

Furthermore, as Aliyev himself said, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has also officially expressed regret over the incident; however, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baku on January 1 and announced its protest. 

Azerbaijan was expected not to allow such remarks from an irresponsible and ordinary person, who is a completely unimportant issue to be brought up to an official level. However, surprisingly, in his official interview yesterday as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev enhanced this marginal issue to the highest official levels and claimed that Iran should officially "apologize" for the statements of an ordinary person.

To make this false statement believable, Aliyev placed this unimportant issue alongside the attack on the Iranian embassy in Tehran two years ago, in order to kind of prove, that Baku is completely "innocent" in creating the current situation.

In February 2022, following an armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy, ​​the Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the act and emphasized that an armed individual's attack on the embassy was carried out of personal motives, announcing that Tehran would seriously follow up on the matter and prosecute the perpetrator of the incident; however, Aliyev, recalling this event once again, describes the attack on the Baku embassy as "terrorist" in order to create tensions between the two countries for unknown and suspicious reasons; This is while, according to international norms, such issues can be resolved at lower levels and do not need to be enhanced to an official and high level.

Aliyev blamed Tehran for the current state of the bilateral relations as if these marginal issues were a bolt from the blue. He brings up unimportant issues as if Republic of Azerbaijan, as a Muslim country and neighbor, has observed good neighborliness, and it is Iran that is seeking to worsen relations between the two countries by touching on those issues.

Since in order to understand any phenomenon, one must also consider its previous record and take into account the processes that led to the occurrence of an incident or event. The current state of relations between Tehran and Baku is no exception. It is necessary to ask what other factors are involved in the current situation that Ilham Aliyev deliberately ignores and points the blame at Tehran.

Everybody knows that one of the main bases of the Zionist regime around Iran is the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that many anti-Iranian mischiefs and sabotage attacks can be traced back to the Zionist bases and its headquarters in the Republic of Azerbaijan. However, the Baku officials not only have not taken any action in this regard, but also boast about their relationship with Tel Aviv.

Furthermore, over the past years, the media and television networks of the Republic of Azerbaijan have repeatedly acted against the territorial integrity of Iran and aired special programs for the Azeri-speaking target audience in Iran with their malicious goals. However, Iran has never brought up such meddling activities at an official level and has always emphasized good neighborliness and good relations with neighbors, calling for the peaceful resolution of those problems. It has also advised the Republic of Azerbaijan that the Zionist regime is seeking to disrupt the good relations between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan; an issue that the Baku authorities always ignore.  It is an irony, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan thinks that he is in a position to blame Iran for the current situation!

MNA/6341418

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
1 day ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Azerbaijan's President Aliyev calls Armenia 'fascist state, threat to region'

1 Share

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Jan. 7 called Armenia effectively a "fascist state," claiming that Baku might have no other choice but to "destroy" its neighbor's so-called "fascist ideology."

Azerbaijan and Armenia are bitter rivals, having clashed in multiple territorial and ethnic conflicts since they gained independence three decades ago.

Speaking in an interview with local television channels, Aliyev accused Armenian authorities of being bearers of a "fascist ideology" for 30 years, shaping the country in their image. He also called Armenia a "threat to the region."

The Azerbaijani strongman issued thinly veiled threats against Armenia, saying that "fascism must be destroyed. It will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us. We have no other choice."

In September 2023, Baku's forces captured the Nagorno-Karabakh region, de jure Azerbaijani territory that, at the time, was de facto ruled by ethnic Armenian authorities and had been a key point of contest between the two countries.

Almost the entire 100,000-strong Armenian population fled the region following Azerbaijan's lightning offensive.

As Yerevan and Baku lead bilateral talks on normalizing relations and settling outstanding border disputes, Armenian authorities have accused Azerbaijan, currently the stronger player in the region, of planning further hostilities.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said last December that the Azerbaijani side received proposals on two unresolved issues in the negotiations but has yet to respond.

"If Azerbaijan also doesn’t have intentions to attack Armenia, then the likelihood of escalation in the region is zero," Pashinyan said in an interview last month.

Aliyev also called on France and other countries to stop providing arms to Armenia and take back the weapons already provided. Yerevan has deepened security cooperation with the West after its traditional ally, Russia, did not step in to prevent Azerbaijan's attack in 2023 despite having peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
1 day ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Mystery surrounding the U.S. Ambassador: Why is Libby leaving Baku? – Aze.Media

1 Share

The main arguments revolve around alleged violations of human rights, media freedom, electoral rights, and the imprisonment of journalists and human rights activists.

On December 10, marking International Human Rights Day, the U.S. State Department awarded the Secretary of State’s Human Rights Defender Awards to prominent human rights advocates from several countries. Among the recipients were Rufat Safarov, an Azerbaijani human rights defender and co-founder of the “Defense Line” organization, and Sevin Vagifgizi, editor-in-chief of “Abzas Media.” Antony Blinken praised both individuals during the ceremony.

The Secretary of State also directed harsh criticism at the Azerbaijani government, accusing it of human rights violations.

The pressure against Azerbaijan is being coordinated at the highest levels in the U.S., with Blinken personally spearheading the campaign. Western diplomats and politicians frequently use the pretext of democracy and human rights to exert pressure on nations—a tactic that has been seen repeatedly over the past three decades.

The increasing pressure on Azerbaijan stems from several reasons. Chief among them is the response to the liberation of Karabakh and surrounding regions. Many Western countries, led by the U.S., have struggled to accept this reality.

Another significant factor is Azerbaijan’s firm stance against Washington’s preferences in the ongoing peace talks with Armenia. The Aliyev administration has openly opposed Blinken’s peace initiatives, a position that has angered the State Department and the Biden administration. The U.S. is acutely aware that it may lose ground in the South Caucasus to the Russia-China alliance. Hence, it is working tirelessly to maintain control over processes in Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku.

Azerbaijan’s leadership role in regional and global processes since the 44-day war, coupled with its growing influence and strategic importance as a bridge between Asia and Europe, has heightened tensions in Washington. Plans surrounding the Zangezur Corridor further explain the aggressive and unjust attitude of the U.S. and EU toward Azerbaijan. The desire to secure a foothold in the geopolitical “corridor wars” is driving both Washington and Brussels to extremes.

These and other factors are compelling the West to take preemptive measures, fearing it may be too late in the future. They recognize that Azerbaijan is on the path to full independence and that no global power will be able to dictate terms to it in the next phase.

President Ilham Aliyev’s precise and deliberate foreign policy is yielding results. Baku’s influence is now being felt as far as the Middle East, where significant alliances are reportedly being formed. Agreements with Israel, a regional leader, have also been highlighted, as evidenced by Presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev’s recent visit to Israel. Consequently, the U.S. and its European satellites are systematically striving to keep Baku under pressure.

Deputy Secretary of State for Human Rights, Dafna Rand, touched on these points in an interview with the “Turan” News Agency. She explicitly stated that Washington would increase its pressure on Baku and continue to support civil society in Azerbaijan, despite the government’s objections.

In her words: “Despite Baku’s dissatisfaction, the U.S. will continue to support civil society in Azerbaijan.” Rand also highlighted the work of the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan and a key embassy staff member on human rights issues, emphasizing their dedication.

She stated: “We have a very good ambassador in Azerbaijan, Mark Libby, who has prioritized human rights during his tenure in Baku.”

Rand went on to discuss the embassy’s human rights officer, who recently completed their service, noting their contributions to highlighting the dire conditions of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and prisoners, particularly during COP29.

It’s worth noting that Ambassador Mark Libby recently announced his departure from Baku, citing health reasons, with reports suggesting he is battling cancer. However, some speculate that his departure may also have political motivations. Experts argue that it’s unlikely his early departure is solely due to health issues.

Rand’s remarks reinforce this suspicion, suggesting Libby may have been involved in activities that displeased the Azerbaijani authorities, known for their intolerance toward foreign ambassadors’ interference in domestic matters. Since 2006, U.S. ambassadors to Azerbaijan have generally avoided meddling in politics or internal affairs. Libby’s departure raises questions about whether his actions diverged from this longstanding practice.

Notably, Libby had previously stirred controversy in May by declining to visit Shusha, citing an unwillingness to participate in what he referred to as a “show.” This statement sparked public outrage in Azerbaijan, with President Aliyev responding directly from Shusha: “The visit of any ambassador to Shusha should not be presented as a favor to us. If they wish to come, they may, and if not, we don’t need them. Their presence or absence changes nothing. We are the ones who hold authority here.”

This is not the first time a U.S. ambassador has left Azerbaijan prematurely. In 2006, former Ambassador Reno Harnish departed abruptly, reportedly declared persona non grata due to alleged interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs, including accusations of involvement in a failed revolution attempt during the 2005 parliamentary elections. At the time, it was reported that compelling evidence was presented to the U.S., leaving no choice but to recall Harnish.

History, it seems, often repeats itself.

Azer Aykhan

Translated from Globalinfo.az

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
1 day ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Baku's Tightrope: How Azerbaijan Navigates Its Relationship With Israel - EA WorldView

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
2 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Flight and voice data from the Embraer E190 that crashed in Kazakhstan have been recovered - Air Data News

1 Share

The work to recover flight and voice data from the two black boxes of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25 was completed on January 4, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) reported on Monday.

The data and voice recorders of the aircraft, registration 4K-AZ65, were recovered by CENIPA, which is responsible for investigating air accidents in Brazil.

According to the FAB, all data was sent to the authority investigating the crash in Kazakhstan with the support of other entities.

The report that will contain the conclusions of the investigation has no deadline for release, but the Azerbaijani government stated that the aircraft, which was on flight J28243 between Baku and Grozny, was hit by Russian air defenses in Chechnya.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijan, but without admitting guilt in the case.

There were 67 people on board the E190 jet, manufactured in 2013, and 29 of them managed to survive the crash in an area near Aktau airport, in Kazakhstan.

Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

The two pilots who died in the crash appear to have tried to control the jet after losing the actuators, but were unable to avoid a violent impact with the ground.

It was the third crash of a jet from Embraer’s E-Jet family in more than 20 years in service. The other two cases involved crew error on a flight from China and an intentional act in an accident in Africa.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
2 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 3

Президент Азербайджана заявил, что вина за авиакатастрофу в Актау "лежит на представителях РФ": "Мы требуем человеческого поведения"

1 Share

Президент Азербайджана Ильхам Алиев заявил, что представители России несут ответственность за крушение самолета Azerbaijan Airlines в Казахстане. Об этом он сказал во время встречи с членами семей погибшего экипажа и выжившими бортпроводниками.

"Я не хочу пока раскрывать все материалы уголовного дела, первичное расследование и результаты его мне доложены, но могу с уверенностью сказать, что вина за то, что азербайджанские граждане погибли в этой катастрофе, лежит на представителях Российской Федерации", – заявил он. 29 декабря Алиев потребовал от РФ "признания вины, наказания виновных и выплаты компенсаций".

Самолет Embraer 190 авиакомпании Azerbaijan Airlines, выполнявший рейс из Баку в Грозный, потерпел крушение в Актау 25 декабря. В результате авиакатастрофы погибли 38 пассажиров, выжили 29 человек. Reuters и Euronews со ссылкой на источники в Азербайджане писали, что самолет был сбит российской системой ПВО. По их данным, лайнеру не разрешили приземлиться ни в одном из российских аэропортов, а приказали лететь через Каспийское море в направлении Актау.

Алиев подчеркнул, что во время введения плана "Ковер" воздушное пространство над Чечней должны были закрыть и предупредить об этом капитана самолета, но, несмотря на повреждение судна, его экипажу удалось долететь до Актау. "Скорее всего, пилоты знали, что им не выжить в этой катастрофе, – отметил он. – В такой ситуации совершить аварийную посадку и дотянуть до берега самолет, который практически был неуправляем в результате постороннего воздействия в воздушном пространстве России, требовало как профессионализма, так и героизма".

Кто принял решение направить самолет в Актау, по его словам, покажет расследование. Бортовые самописцы были отправлены в Бразилию. Алиев отметил, что на этом настаивал Азербайджан, несмотря на все предложения передать "черные ящики" Межгосударственному авиационному комитету (в этом случае расследованием авиакатастрофы занялась бы Россия).

Президент Азербайджана указал, что "попытки государственных структур России замять этот инцидент и настаивать на абсурдных версиях" вызывают "удивление, и сожаление, и справедливое возмущение". Ильхам Алиев также заявил, что власти страны требуют справедливости: "Мы требуем наказания виновных, мы требуем полной прозрачности и человеческого поведения".

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
3 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

The War In Ukraine And The Western Response Could Destroy Russia's Civil Aviation Industry

1 Share

In November 2006, nine months after signing a decree creating United Aircraft Manufacturing Corp (UAC), Russian President Vladimir Putin invited the state-controlled conglomerate’s newly chosen CEO, Aleksei Fyodorov, and top cabinet officials overseeing the industry to the Kremlin to discuss future plans.

“We are all aware that our biggest problems are in civil aviation, and so we will be focusing particularly on this area,” Fyodorov told Putin at the meeting. “Our main focus will be on new projects.”

Putin had combined Russian warplane and commercial aircraft producers, including Sukhoi, Ilyushin, Tupolev, and Irkut, under the roof of UAC --an effort to strengthen state control over the crucial sector, which was struggling 15 years after the Soviet Union’s collapse, and improve efficiency.

Another 15 years later, Russia’s civil aviation industry is at risk of collapsing under the weight of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Despite billions of dollars pumped into the sector with much fanfare, there’s been little to show for it -- and reliance on Western planes, technology, and spare parts remains sky high.

At the meeting in 2006, Fyodorov told Putin that development of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100), a short-range plane seating up to 98 passengers and set to become the first post-Soviet, Russian-designed commercial aircraft to go into mass production, was “going ahead quite well.”

He then told Putin about UAC’s “biggest and most important” commercial project: the development of the MS-21, a medium-range plane designed to replace the aging Soviet Tu-154 fleet and to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320.

“This is one of the company’s most complex and strategic objectives today,” Fyodorov said.

As of today, after plowing more than $3 billion into the project, UAC has yet to deliver a single MS-21 to customers. It has promised to transfer four this year to the state-controlled airline Rossiya, but that is now in doubt due to the sanctions. Mass production at a profitable level is still at least five years away.

As for the SSJ-100, two deadly crashes -- including one on a promotional trip to Asia -- and a persistent lack of spare parts have sapped domestic and international interest.

As of mid-2021, there were only 155 SSJ-100s in operation, according to UAC CEO Yury Slyusar. The demand stemmed largely from government pressure on Russian airlines to buy them, according to industry analysts.

Western-made planes, including Boeing and Airbus, accounted for about 80 percent of Russia’s fleet at the start of the year, according to Cirium, an aviation data and analytics firm. It is a larger proportion than when Putin first came to office.

Many of those planes will be grounded in the coming months after Western nations banned the export of aviation technology, including spare parts, to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Russia’s airlines will be forced to cannibalize their existing fleets for spare parts, analysts said.

Even the SSJ-100 could be grounded, as most of its components are foreign made, including the engine.

In a potential sign of concern in the Russian government about the situation and how it plays out in public, a senior official of Rosaviatsiya, the nation’s federal air transport agency, was immediately fired after he told an industry conference on March 10 that China had refused to supply Russia with spare parts, the business daily Kommersant reported.

Since the United States and Europe first imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 for its seizure of Crimea, Russia has been seeking to move away from Western imports, including in the aviation industry.

However, UAC isn’t expected to deliver fully Russian made SSJ-100s until 2024 at the earliest, Slyusar said in October. Russia is still developing an engine for the SSJ-100 to replace the one made by a joint venture with France’s Snecma.

“The reality is that they are in deep, deep trouble unless they can find a way to get these export controls lifted,” Chris Miller, a professor at Tufts University in the United States who has written books on the Soviet and Russian economies, told RFE/RL.

“Russian civil aviation today is just very heavily reliant on components from the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and there's no easy way to replace them in the short term,” he said.

'Failure Of Policy'

That wasn’t always the case.

The Soviet Union produced commercial planes with fully domestic parts. But some of those key components -- especially avionics and engines -- were inferior to Western equivalents.

Soviet aircraft suffered from severe maintenance and reliability problems, including -- like today -- a lack of spare parts. Some airports in Europe banned them for failure to meet regulations and noise emissions.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Russia opened its economy to the world, its airlines sought to acquire better-made and more reliable Western planes.

Russian manufacturers, some now in private hands, suffered financially in the 1990s as orders dried up, raising questions about whether the domestic civil aviation manufacturing industry even had a future.

When Putin came to power in 2000, he faced a formidable uphill battle in turning the sector around.

At a meeting in the Kremlin in 2001, he called on officials and aviation executives to move quicker in carrying out the government's strategy to revive the industry.

It was one of many meetings Putin would hold over the next two decades with policy makers and aviation executives to discuss investments and reforms.

For all the talk, however, analysts say he did not give civil aviation the attention and money it needed to overcome its problems, setting the country up for the crisis it now faces.

“The government did not focus enough on diversification of the economy and spent far too much time living off hydrocarbons,” Chris Weafer, the founder of the Moscow-based consulting firm Macro Advisory, told RFE/RL, highlighting civilian aircraft manufacturing as one casualty of that policy.

Russia is one of the world’s top three producers of oil and gas, which together generate about one-third of budget revenues. Putin benefitted from surging oil prices during his first two terms in office, from 2000 to 2008, and again from 2012 to 2014, early in his third term.

Peter Wilson, an adjunct senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation think tank and a professor at Georgetown University, who has written about Russian military aviation, said Putin blew an opportunity to use surging oil and gas revenue to modernize the nation’s plane manufacturing industry, including by tackling the age-old problem of avionics and engines.

Putin stockpiled the excess revenue from energy sales to fortify his country against potential Western sanctions instead of investing it to enhance living standards and modernize industry, Wilson said.

Russia’s reserves were the fifth largest in the world prior to the invasion of Ukraine, reaching about $630 billion.

“There was a lot of talk inside the Russian aerospace and defense industry about how they were going to develop their indigenous capabilities…and some of it kind of happened. But fundamentally, it was a failure of policy and investment,” Wilson told RFE/RL.

Some $300 billion in reserves are now frozen by Western sanctions.

'Where Are The Planes?'

UAC initially designed the SSJ-100 and MS-21 with Western components, including avionics and engines, putting Russia’s commercial plane industry in the vulnerable position that it is now seeking to desperately overcome.

But UAC’s problems, including its inability to produce more planes, go deeper than dependence on the West, Russian analysts say.

In a series of articles for the military-focused news agency website Voyenno-Promyshlenny Kuryer analyzing UAC, Igor Semenchenko, a former top adviser to Russia’s upper parliament chamber, the Federation Council, slammed current and past managers and government officials for poor policy decisions, lack of experience, and mismanagement of funds.

He criticized the decision to develop the Sukhoi's SSJ-100 when a Soviet-designed alternative by Tupolev already existed. Tupolev had decades of experience building passenger planes while Sukhoi -- a designer of military jets -- did not, he said, suggesting that was a reason why the plane had so many technical problems.

The SSJ has been haunted by two deadly accidents, including a crash into an Indonesian mountainside during an exhibition flight with 45 people on board in 2012, and has been hobbled by performance issues and lack of spare parts.

According to Semenchenko, the government had to pour so much money into the SSJ-100, including to overcome its problems, that there was little left over for other civilian projects.

“UAC became a highly effective tool for consuming state budget funds” and has turned “into almost a laundering firm,” Semenchenko wrote in a November 2020 article.

Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the Federation Council, raised similar concerns about mismanagement in 2013, saying some state corporations, including UAC, had turned into black holes.

“Huge state investments, hundreds of billions of rubles, were pumped into the UAC. Can someone answer the people: Where are the planes? Where's the money?" he said.

Russia initially planned to build from 60 to 72 SSJ-100s a year with a target to sell 1,000 jets over a two-decade period, including 700 for export. The sales figures were revised lower to roughly 600 jets by 2031 as UAC struggled to find sellers. The coronavirus -- which decimated travel over the past two years -- and now sanctions have made that target optimistic.

Since 2008, UAC has produced about 220 SSJ-100s with just 159 currently in operation, nearly all of them in Russia.

The weak sales left UAC mired in debt, forcing the government to step in with a $4 billion bailout package in 2019. UAC has been loss-making nearly its entire existence.

Analysts have said UAC’s initial forecasts for SSJ-100 sales were unrealistic because the market for short-haul planes isn’t that large. They speculated UAC made the outlandish projection to receive more government funding.

As relations with the West worsened and the threat of more sanctions loomed, Putin in 2020 approved new measures to subsidize the purchase of SSJ-100 jets by domestic operators.

Under that program, the leasing arm of Rostec, the state-owned defense conglomerate that controls UAC, agreed to buy dozens of SSJ-100s, as did other Russian airlines, for delivery in the next few years.

Rostec is run by Sergei Chemezov, 70, a longtime friend and associate who worked with Putin when both were KGB officers stationed in Dresden, East Germany, in the 1980s. He has been accused of enriching himself in that position, a charge he denies.

Chemezov last year tapped himself as chairman of UAC. He will now oversee Russia’s efforts to break the aviation sanctions stranglehold by producing fully domestically made planes.

Aviation experts have said that the tendency to hand high-level jobs and responsibilities to people close to Putin is part of the problem, not the solution to Russia’s aviation troubles.

UAC is “incapable of innovation and adaptation” because its directors are largely “handpicked yes-sayers” who lack skills as industrial managers, Tom Cooper, a military aviation analyst who follows Russia, said in a 2017 article.

Read the whole story
· · · · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
4 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

"Military-related part" of investigation into AZAL plane crash in Grozny was hidden

1 Share

The "military part" of the investigation into the AZAL plane crash in Grozny has been hidden, APA's Moscow correspondent reports citing "ВЧК-ОГПУ" Telegram channel.

Reported that despite the visit to the Chechen Republic by the head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, and experienced investigators from the Committee's central office, in fact, all investigative actions related to the military are being carried out by investigators from the 505th Military Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee located in Chechnya.

"The crew of the Pantsir combat vehicle that fired the missile at the plane was interrogated by the head of the department. As for the dispatched investigators, some of them went to Aktau, where they were allowed to work at the crash site, while others work in Grozny. They interrogated the dispatcher and the airfield flight director. So far, the investigation has no questions for the dispatcher and the flight director.

An analysis of other circumstances that could have influenced the plane crash is also underway. For example, before GPS technology became widespread, aircraft landing was carried out using the CGS system (a radio beacon system for aircraft approaching the landing. This is the most common radio navigation system in aviation for aircraft landing using cockpit instruments). This method is still widespread and is used all over the world, but for some reason, during the large-scale reconstruction of the Grozny airport, this system was dismantled," the Russian source emphasized.

Noted that on December 25, an Embraer passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, operating a Baku-Grozny flight, crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, including 5 crew members. As a result of the accident, 38 people, including citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan, lost their lives.

Initial investigations revealed that the Azerbaijani plane was shot down by the Russian Air Defense System while it was in the airspace of Chechnya. At the same time, the plane was hit by Radio Electronic Warfare and the aircraft lost control. Traces of shrapnel from a missile fired from an anti-aircraft missile complex were recorded on the fuselage of the plane.

Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
6 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

The Downing of Flight 8243 Could Jeopardize Russia-Azerbaijan Relations

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
6 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Vladimir Putin cannot survive another year like 2024

1 Share

As 2025 begins, pessimism about Ukraine’s fate hangs in the air and the stench of appeasement on the wind. I find myself confused as to why, for it should be clear that the conflict has so far been an ignominious failure for President Vladimir Putin.

Unable to achieve the objective of subjugating his far smaller neighbour, he has instead inflicted enormous suffering on his own country and devastated its economy while undermining Russian prestige and strategic influence around the world.

Lest we forget that what was planned as a three-day “special operation” has turned into a three-year nightmare. Russia has made only limited territorial gains and has been incapable of capturing even the whole of Donetsk Oblast in the east. Last year’s grand offensive to establish a buffer zone at Kharkiv to protect Russian territory only seized a few kilometres along the border. Missile attacks aimed at plunging Ukraine into near-constant cold and darkness have clearly failed.

Meanwhile Putin has lost control of parts of Kursk Oblast to Ukrainian forces in the first invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War, failing to retake it despite enlisting North Korea as an ally in the conflict. Putin’s much-vaunted air defences have proven unable to halt Ukrainian strikes on airfields, oil depots and ammunition warehouses inside Russia. Even the capital, Moscow, has been penetrated by locally-produced Ukrainian explosive drones. The Russian navy has been humiliated, losing control of the Black Sea and unable to strangle Ukraine’s grain exports. Upwards of 15 of its ships have been sunk by sea drones with many more damaged and the remainder of the fleet forced to retreat from the Crimean peninsula and the shores of Ukraine.

The human toll from Putin’s sclerotic campaign has also been immense. Ukraine estimates that Russian forces sustained 427,000 casualties in 2024 alone. The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, assesses that during the same period Russia seized 4,168 square kilometres; that means each square kilometre captured has cost more than 100 casualties.

The financial outlay on those casualties, with 6 per cent of the entire federal budget promised to support the wounded and compensate the families of the dead, is just one contributor to Russia’s increasingly precarious economy. Interest rates have hit 23 per cent with inflation at 9 per cent, driven by an unsustainable war economy badly damaged by global sanctions. The Russian financial system may not be on the verge of collapse, but no matter how much the Kremlin talks up its prospects, long-term economic stagnation seems inevitable even if the conflict ends in 2025.

Further afield, the war has severely damaged Russian credibility in the Middle East. Putin’s intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015 kept Assad in power. But the scaling back of his forces there to stoke the meat grinder in Ukraine together with the withdrawal in 2023 of the Wagner mercenary force – another casualty of the war – meant he was unable to save the dictator at the end of last year. Whether or not Moscow retains its bases in Syria, its reputation as a tough and dependable ally compared to the vacillating West will have been badly ruptured. Added to that, Russia’s weakness in Syria has inflicted damage, perhaps irreparable, on its chief regional accomplice and arms supplier, Iran. If Syria becomes a support base for jihadists set on terrorism inside Russia – a distinct possibility – it could be disastrous.

Contrary to Putin’s dream of resurrecting a Russian empire, he has risked turning the country into a dependency of the Chinese. Western sanctions have already made Russia more reliant on China for economic support and commerce than ever before. As Moscow’s economic situation worsens, the trade inequity will only deepen. Russia also depends on the Chinese supply of dual-use technology that is essential for its war production and North Korea would not have sent 10,000 troops to help fight Putin’s war without a green light from Xi Jinping. The conditions are being set for Moscow’s subordination to Beijing.

Despite Russia’s woes, we should not make the mistake of believing that Ukraine and the West are near victory in this conflict. Unfortunately the opportunity for that was lost at least two years ago by a combination of lack of resolve in Europe and fear of escalation in the US, which denied Ukraine the weapons it needed to drive Russia back. Ukraine has been unable to halt the steady Russian advance and is not going to be able to do so without substantially increased support, which is unlikely to come. Kyiv’s allies have become increasingly war-weary since the failed counter-offensive in 2023 and many are resigned to a peace deal. Recent comments by President Zelensky suggest he too is now prepared for that, even if it means territorial concessions.

Putin is playing hardball, rejecting a reported proposal by the US president-elect, which involved a 20-year delay to Ukraine’s Nato membership, Western security guarantees and a European-manned buffer zone. His stance may soften depending on how he sees the future of the Russian economy and how concerned he is over an unpredictable Donald Trump in the White House.

For now, we must kill the idea that Putin is “winning” the war. It has been a colossal failure. The tragedy is the West may be about to reward Putin with enough territory for him to claim otherwise, turning defeat into victory.


Colonel Richard Kemp CBE is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
7 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Ukraine will no longer allow transit of Russian gas, Zelenskyy says

1 Share

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."

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
7 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 4

After Moscow lost in Syria, Russian-Ukrainian war enters new phase

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
8 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

New details on how a Russian “Pantsir” shot down the AZAL plane – Aze.Media

1 Share

The investigation into the crash of an AZAL aircraft on the Baku–Grozny route has revealed new details about the tragedy, according to the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. Findings indicate that two missiles fired from a Pantsir-S1 air defense system directly struck the aircraft. The primary cause of the incident is attributed to chaos and malfunctions in electronic warfare (EW) systems, which “blinded” both civilian aviation and the air defense systems themselves.

At the time of the tragedy, multiple air defense systems were stationed in Grozny, including two Pantsir units, an S-300 system recently deployed from Syria, and a Buk missile system. The missiles were fired by one of the Pantsir crews located in the Visaitovsky District (formerly Staropromyslovsky). This system had been deployed following drone attacks on the Akhmat special forces building. According to the investigation, the crew launched two missiles: the first at 08:13:30 and the second 10 seconds later. Both exploded in the air, with the first detonating at 08:13:50 and the second at 08:14:30. The second explosion is believed to have struck the aircraft.

Investigators interrogated all three members of the Pantsir crew—the commander, operator, and driver. The commander claimed that the target did not appear as a civilian aircraft on the radar screen. He stated that powerful EW systems were active, jamming not only civilian but also military equipment. This prevented the air defense system from correctly identifying the aircraft, which was classified as an unidentified target.

When asked why the target was not recognized as a passenger aircraft, the commander admitted that its altitude and speed could indeed indicate a civilian plane. However, he stressed that he acted on orders received from a commander in Rostov identified as Borisov.

The situation was further complicated by miscommunication between air defense crews. It was revealed that another Pantsir crew identified the target as a civilian aircraft and refrained from firing. However, due to the EW systems, they were unable to warn the second crew, which subsequently launched two missiles. The investigation has yet to determine who activated the EW systems that disrupted both civilian and military communications.

The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reports that the military is attempting to promote a narrative that the missiles were fired at a drone but missed and self-destructed near the AZAL aircraft. Investigators, however, insist that debris and the nature of the damage indicate that the missiles deliberately targeted the aircraft.

Confirmation of this theory comes from revised event timings. New data shows that the strike on the aircraft occurred around 08:14, rather than the previously estimated 08:16.

This conclusion was reached after a detailed analysis of an audio recording of conversations between the dispatcher and the flight crew. In the transcript, a crucial moment was marked as “inaudible” (allegedly to omit a link between the missile explosions and the aircraft strike). However, the original audio clearly captures the phrase, “a bird hit me.” Two minutes later, the crew repeated the message more distinctly.

New data indicates that at 08:14, ground services recorded the aircraft 16 kilometers from the airport, still over the Naursky District.

Testimonies from the Pantsir crew commander revealed that they were not provided with a schedule of civilian flights. The commander contacted Rostov twice via stationary communication lines before launching the missiles.

According to the shift commander servicing the Pantsir, the target was “visually unavailable due to dense fog.” However, the commander of a second Pantsir system stationed at the airport observed the aircraft and, confirming it as a civilian flight, refrained from firing.

This fact emerged from background recordings in the control room. The recordings capture the second Pantsir commander informing the dispatcher via radio that the aircraft was in sight.

When investigators asked why the first commander did not contact the second system’s commander, he responded that stationary communication was “out of order” and mobile phones were “inoperative due to EW interference.”

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
9 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Syrian Rebels Capture Russian Pantsir System: Reports

1 Share

Insurgents in Syria appear to have captured an advanced Russian air-defense system, according to images widely circulating on social media, after rebel forces launched a surprise offensive last week in the north of the country that marked an end to a long-running stalemate.

Images appear to show Russian equipment, including a multiple rocket launcher and a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile system, in the hands of rebel forces in the country's second-largest city, Aleppo.

Newsweek could not independently verify this, but the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), said on Saturday that opposition forces "have likely captured valuable military equipment" that pro-regime fighters "abandoned amid disorderly withdrawals."

The Russian Defense Ministry has been contacted via email for comment.

On Wednesday, rebel forces swept into Aleppo and the Hama province, to the south of the city, in a surprise offensive that apparently met little resistance from forces controlled by Syrian President and Kremlin ally, Bashar al-Assad.

Forces loyal to the Syrian leader had pushed rebel militants, which include Turkish-backed fighters, from Aleppo and settlements in Hama back in 2016. The conflict, while not resolved, had lapsed into a relatively static conflict in recent years. More than 300,000 civilians were killed in the first 10 years of the conflict, the United Nations estimated in 2022.

Russia has supported the Assad regime since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, formally entering the conflict in 2015 to prop up the Syrian leader. The U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies has described the Russian move into the conflict as providing "decisive air power to Syrian and Iranian-backed ground forces," and broadening Assad's grip on territory in the country.

Moscow is deeply embroiled in its grueling war effort in Ukraine, while Iran is preoccupied with Israel, against which it launched two direct missile and drone attacks earlier this year.

The Syrian armed forces, loyal to Assad, said on Saturday that rebels had "launched a large-scale attack" on multiple points in Aleppo and Idlib, saying "dozens" of pro-regime soldiers were killed.

The army pulled back to strengthen their defensive lines, the military said, and to "prepare for a counterattack" to the most significant challenge to the Syrian president's rule in several years.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a U.K-based monitoring organization, said on Friday that Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other factions had taken control of 20 "villages, towns, and positions in Idlib and Aleppo countryside." Idlib sits southwest of the city.

The ISW said on Saturday that opposition forces had seized Aleppo and "advanced toward Hama City" within three days of the start of the offensive. Rebels are thought to control the city's airport and major landmarks in Aleppo.

Syria's army said on Sunday it had pulled reinforcements to the northern Hama countryside, and that the "Syrian-Russian joint military aviation is intensifying its precise strikes" on the rebels' ammunition and weapons depots, headquarters and positions.

The SOHR said on Sunday that four civilians had been killed and tens of others injured in Russian airstrikes on Idlib. A total of 372 civilian and military personnel had been killed since Wednesday.

It also reported intensified armed clashes around northern Aleppo on Sunday and several Russian aircraft targeting rebel forces in the countryside around the city.

Assad, said on Saturday that Syria would "defend its stability and territorial integrity."

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Saudi Arabia Confirms Pantsir Introduction | Aviation Week Network

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Will Aliyev turn from Putin over AZAL plane crash?

1 Share

Relations between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin have worsened following the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash. However, this cooling is unlikely to be long-lasting, according to the material by RBC-Ukraine.

Completely ruining relations is not in the interest of either Azerbaijan or Russia. The current cooling of relations is unlikely to be long-lasting and will probably last at most a few months or half a year, according to the head of the Center for Applied Political Research Penta Volodymyr Fesenko.

An example of this can be the 2015 incident when a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 near the Syrian border. This triggered a full-blown crisis, with Moscow clashing with Ankara and even imposing sanctions. However, after a few months, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan apologized, and relations gradually normalized.

"Of course, there are still some contradictions between Putin and Erdoğan, but they have restored not just nominally friendly, but also partnership relations in many areas. I think the situation with Azerbaijan will be similar," he noted.

The episode with the AZAL plane crash and the "nonsensical versions" revealed the nature of Putin's regime.

"It is a distorted 'great power mentality,' an immoral way of behaving when Russia cannot admit its guilt, and does not want to act the way civilized countries do in such situations. Right now, Aliyev is offended and cannot ignore the dignity of his state, so he has to show a strong reaction. Relations with Putin are important to him, he does not intend to quarrel, but at the same time, he showed that he will not turn a blind eye. Moreover, this also shows that Putin is no longer feared as he once was," Fesenko concluded.

Plane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, a passenger plane Embraer 190 of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. The flight was en route from Baku to Grozny.

There were 67 people on board, including the crew. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities.

According to media reports, drones were being shot down in Grozny that day, and the plane may have been hit, so it was unable to land. As a result, the Embraer 190 crashed near Aktau.

As reported by Euronews, Azerbaijani authorities confirmed that the crash was caused by a Russian missile.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the "tragic incident" involving the Azerbaijan Airlines plane but did not acknowledge that the aircraft was shot down by Russian forces.

More details about the crash can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

The Hill

1 Share

A report from the Senate Intelligence Committee offers a critical look at the CIA’s handling of cases of unexplained health incidents, determining its approach hindered its ability to care for staff and alienated employees.

The Friday report on anomalous health incidents (AHIs), previously referred to as “Havana syndrome,” found the CIA’s “evolving organizational position have greatly complicated CIA’s ability to consistently and transparently facilitate medical care, provide compensation and other benefits, and communicate clearly about AHIs to the workforce.”

The intelligence community has assessed that symptoms from vertigo to tinnitus to cognitive issues experienced by agents are likely due to other medical issues, environmental exposure and psycho-social factors — not a foreign adversary.

At the same time, the report notes numerous studies have found “clusters of symptoms and diagnoses that cannot be easily explained” among the nearly 100 CIA reporters.

The report’s findings complicate the position of CIA employees, whose access to treatment and compensation is in some ways tied to earlier beliefs that the symptoms could have been the result of an attack.

The report describes an environment of distrust within the agency, with employees saying they felt pressured to share their broader medical records, “and were resistant because they feared the agency would ‘weaponize’ their information or try to use the records to ‘discredit’ their AHI reports such as by ‘pinning’ their AHI experience on a minor pre-existing condition.”

The CIA said in a statement that it “continues to approach every reported possible AHI with the utmost seriousness and compassion.”

Sign up for the Morning Report

The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.

By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates

The report also found that the CIA consistently challenged employees’ efforts to receive workers’ compensation, saying that as of the end of last year the agency had not concurred with various elements of employees’ applications to support their claim and had also not always turned over all documents needed.

“Collectively, this resulted in AHI reporters from CIA having lower approval rates for workers’ compensation claims than AHI reporters from other USG agencies–only 21% of CIA AHI applicants had been approved for workers’ compensation as of December 3 1, 2023, in contrast to 67% of AHI applicants from other USG agencies,” the report found.

Some AHI reporters said the inability to get workers’ compensation also prevented them from seeking disability benefits, prompting some to retire early or “cobble together various types of leave,” including leave without pay.

The report did credit the CIA with working more swiftly than some other agencies to adopt provisions of the HAVANA Act, including through its Expanded Care Program greenlighting the way to payments.

But it said CIA needs to do more, noting that it halted its own clinical research on AHIs, including pre- and post-AHI medical baseline testing.

“As a result, CIA may be missing out on important clinical data that could advance its understanding of AHIs,” the report stated.

It also said it needs to boost trust and communication with AHI reporters, many of whom they said have suffered “significant moral injury” and felt they were not believed, while others felt their career was impacted after discussing their AHI case.

The report also said that while reporting of such cases has dwindled, the agency needs to prepare for the potential of a surge in cases.

“CIA needs a sustained posture to address such incidents and to improve its medical tradecraft. CIA should be more organizationally prepared for the possibility that a large volume of AHI reports–or similar types of threats to the workforce–could arise in the future and overwhelm CIA’s capacity to respond on a case-by-case basis by, among other things, developing appropriate written policies and comprehensive plans for how it would respond to such threats,” it said.

For its part, the CIA said its commitment to its employees is “steadfast.”

“During the critical periods covered by this report, CIA had to design a response to a vexing problem as both our understanding of the problem and the problem itself evolved. … At the same time, CIA worked with the [intelligence community] to conduct a deep and rigorous investigation into the possibility that foreign actors were harming US Government personnel and their families, while also working tirelessly to assist officers and their families in getting the care and support they needed and rightly deserved,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

“In that environment, supporting our officers and their families required us to dynamically adapt our programs and processes to changing needs and circumstances. Whether, in hindsight, we could have done better is for others to evaluate, but our commitment to ensuring that our officers and their families had access to the care they needed has never wavered.”

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 5

The Hill

1 Share

The only man to lead both the FBI and CIA spoke out against Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, two of President-elect Trump’s top intelligence picks, saying both positions require “complete independence from political influence.”

William Webster, who led the agencies under both Democratic and Republican presidents, made the comment in a letter to senators, saying he was “deeply concerned” about both picks. 

Patel, who served in a number of national security roles under the Trump administration and who is a key ally to the president-elect, has been nominated to lead the FBI, even though current Director Christopher Wray would normally serve a 10-year term, until 2027. 

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was nominated to serve as director of national intelligence, a role in which she would lead the office that coordinates all 18 intelligence agencies.

“While Mr. Patel’s intelligence and patriotism are commendable, his close political alignment with President Trump raises serious concerns about impartiality and integrity. Statements such as ‘He’s my intel guy’ and his record of executing the president’s directives suggest a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law—a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice,” Webster wrote.

The letter was first reported by Politico.

Patel has been an outspoken critic of the FBI’s investigation into Trump — even penning a children’s book on the topic — and he has said he would fire a number of FBI personnel to rid the agency of the “deep state.” He also listed a number of Democratic figures as “government gangsters” in a book by the same name, writing in fundraising emails through his foundation that they must be held accountable.

Sign up for the Morning Report

The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.

By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates

Gabbard, meanwhile, has come under fire for parroting Russian narratives about the country’s invasion of Ukraine and also visited now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as he was facing accusations of using chemical weapons against his own people.

“Congresswoman Gabbard’s profound lack of intelligence experience and the daunting task of overseeing 18 disparate intelligence agencies further highlight the need for seasoned leadership,” Webster wrote.

“Effective management of our intelligence community requires unparalleled expertise to navigate the complexities of global threats and to maintain the trust of allied nations. Without that trust, our ability to safeguard sensitive secrets and collaborate internationally is severely diminished. … This is no time in world history for a novice in the field to learn this role.”

The Trump team shot back at Webster.

“It shouldn’t be news that someone who has endorsed Joe Biden, who has been wrong on every single foreign policy disaster over the last four years, and Kamala Harris opposes President Trump’s nominees. Lt. Col. Gabbard is an active member of the Army and has served in the military for over two decades and in Congress, as someone who has consumed intelligence at the highest levels, including during wartime, she recognizes the importance of partnerships with allies to ensure close coordination to keep the American people safe,” Alexa Henning, a Trump transition spokesperson, said in a statement.

Alex Pfeiffer, also a Trump transition spokesperson, defended Patel as “loyal to the Constitution. He’s worked under Presidents Obama and Trump in key national security roles.”

Webster, who led the FBI under Presidents Carter and Reagan, shared that he was only contacted by each man once during their terms, nodding to concerns Trump would seek to play an outsize role in directing affairs at each agency.

He encouraged senators “to weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience.”

“Trust in our intelligence and law enforcement agencies is also crucial for our international partners,” he wrote. 

“Without that trust, we cannot be effective in guarding sensitive secrets or collaborating to address shared threats.”

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

How the Azerbaijan Airlines Crash Could Shake Relations with Russia - The Times Of Central Asia

1 Share

The crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) airplane in Aktau, Kazakhstan, has the potential to significantly effect Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia if Moscow mishandles the situation. To date, there has been a lack of transparency and responsiveness on the part of the Kremlin. The implications could include accelerating the deterioration of Moscow’s influence in the region. These implications, therefore, concern not only the local countries, but any international actor having strategic interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, or otherwise concerned with their future role and place in the evolving post–Cold War international system.

The Facts of the Disaster

Given the rapid dissemination of information in the 2020s by electronic means, whereby authentic real-time videos made by first responders to the fuselage on the ground were uploaded to social media and available worldwide within minutes, the overall outline and some details of the incident are by now generally well known.

The airplane was en route from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, when explosions in the air damaged the cabin. Very soon after, but not as a result of these explosions, the pilots completely lost all electronic orientation and navigation capabilities. According to one source close to Azerbaijan’s investigation into the crash, preliminary results showed the plane was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system and its communications were then paralyzed by electronic warfare systems on the approach into Grozny. Ukrainian military drones have repeatedly targeted Russia’s southern regions, triggering Russian air defenses. “No one claims that it was done on purpose,” the source said; but “taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft.”

After being hit, the plane was refused emergency landing permission at Grozny (2.5 kilometers from where the incident occurred) and at least two other Russian airports in the North Caucasus (Makhachkala, 155 kilometers away, and Mineral’nye Vody, 225 kilometers), before being directed by local air control out over the Caspian Sea. Once there, the pilots made the decision to try to land in Aktau (435 kilometers away). Against all odds, they succeeded in avoiding the need to ditch the aircraft into the sea, which would have undoubtedly killed all on board and also destroyed the craft, making any investigation into what had happened impossible. In the event, according to the Kazakhstani authorities, out of 62 passengers and five crew, 32 survivors were initially rescued.

Captain Igor Kshnyakin, Co-pilot (First Officer) Alexander Kalyaninov, and Purser Hokuma Aliyeva died when the front wheel touched down ahead of the back wheels, as a result of which the cockpit was thrown violently away from the ongoing wreck. However, this is what created the conditions for at least some of the passengers to survive, as it split the fuselage in two. The event has garnered international attention, including for the professionalism of the crew.

What Has Happened Since

At first, Kazakhstan declared its own unilateral competence to investigate the crash, which occurred on its sovereign territory, rejecting requests by both Azerbaijan and Russia to participate in the investigation while proposing that they only observe proceedings. Oddly, Kazakhstan then proposed jointly with Russia that the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) should undertake the investigation.

A report then surfaced in Kazakhstani and Russian media that the flight’s oxygen tank, or else an oxygen cylinder that a passenger had somehow managed to take into the cabin, had exploded. These claims were separately refuted by the two surviving flight attendants. They explained that in the case of an oxygen tank, the fuselage would have been in pieces in the air with no survivors at all, and that taking an oxygen cylinder on board simply did not happen due to inspections. Azerbaijan soundly rejected the IAC forum, understanding that Kazakhstan may not have full independence in its investigation and that Baku would therefore be outnumbered at the IAC.

Azerbaijan is demanding that the incident be investigated by an international group of experts and specialists on the Embraer aircraft that was involved, and has already sent an investigative team, including experts from Turkey, to Grozny to begin to undertake its own examination of the facts. According to the latest reports, they will participate in Kazakhstan’s investigation.

Azerbaijan has already revoked permits for Russian airlines to fly to Azerbaijani airports, and a number of international airlines have suspended flights to Russia on either a temporary or a permanent basis.

Significance for Azerbaijan–Russia Relations

On November 9, 2020, just after Azerbaijani forces had captured the city of Shusha during the Second Karabakh War and were preparing to enter the capital Khankendi only 10 kilometers away, a Russian helicopter took to the air far away, but less than one kilometer from the border of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave with Armenia. This was not a regular maneuver; the helicopter did not identify itself, and it was shot down.

Russia immediately demanded not only an acknowledgment, apology, and compensation, but also that Azerbaijan should immediately halt its preparations to enter Khankendi from Shusha and cease all military activities in Karabakh. In all these matters, including the unrelated demand for a ceasefire, Azerbaijan acquiesced.

While this event has not formally been invoked by officials in Baku, it establishes a baseline for what Azerbaijan might expect in the nature of a Russian response to the airplane shot down over Grozny, resulting in its crash near Aktau. Likewise, since the 2020 event saw Azerbaijan offering compensation for the Russian helicopter crew, this will be plausibly regarded in Baku as a precedent likely influencing expectations in the current scenario.

The helicopter incident in 2020 was more of a bilateral issue between Azerbaijan and Russia that received less international scrutiny. However, the AZAL airplane crash is already attracting more global attention due to the involvement of civilian lives, international air travel, and the implications for aviation safety over or near Russian territory.

Azerbaijan’s immediate apology in 2020 helped mitigate potential escalation. In contrast, the recent incident in Kazakhstan has led to more significant public outcry and demands for accountability from Russia, possibly because of the civilian nature of the crash and the potentially more severe implications for air travel safety.

In Azerbaijan, the crew are regarded as heroes. Newsweek magazine quoted an American expert as saying, “These pilots didn’t just fly the plane — they fought it every step of the way. This level of skill and composure is what separates extraordinary pilots from the rest. What they achieved is nothing short of miraculous.” The three deceased crew-members, already lionized by the public for their heroism, have been buried in the Second Alley of Honor in Baku.

What Happens Next?

Azerbaijan earlier rejected an offer from the Chechen authorities of financial aid to the families of those killed or injured, replying that, “We are fully capable of supporting our citizens and will continue to do so. What Azerbaijan demands [from official Moscow] is an acknowledgment of the incident, an apology, and appropriate compensation.”

In the event, when Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, all that was offered was acknowledgment. Carefully reading the reports of Putin’s telephone call to Aliyev reveals that Russia has not admitted responsibility. Rather, Putin expressed regret that the event had occurred in Russian airspace. There was no admission of responsibility, no apology, and no offer of compensation to families. Yet it is clear by now that there were military mistakes requiring a criminal investigation to uncover the truth.

More than that, there have been suggestions that Russian air traffic control prevented the AZAL plane from landing at nearby airports in the North Caucasus. We know that the plane did not land in the North Caucasus, and there are unconfirmed reports that it was denied landing at least two airports. The information available is not conclusive, but if confirmed, this would indicate criminal intent.

If confirmed, then observers would draw the conclusion that there may even have been instructions given to the aircraft, which had lost all GPS orientation because of electronic warfare supposedly deployed against Ukrainian drones, that directed it out over the Caspian Sea where — and but for the expertise and dedication of the cockpit crew — it would have crashed without survivors and been lost without significant trace.

The Russian Federation’s conduct regarding the shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) and its subsequent investigation, would then be invoked to malign Moscow’s motives. The strong appearance would be created that, once Russian authorities realized what had happened, they tried to make the evidence (an airplane full of human beings) disappear.

The Geopolitical Stakes

The crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Aktau has highlighted not only the dangers of overflying Russian territory, but also the strained dynamics between Moscow and Baku. As Azerbaijan continues to demand accountability, Russia’s response — or lack thereof — will undoubtedly influence the trajectory of their bilateral relations and the broader regional equilibrium. Whether Moscow will acknowledge its potential culpability and take steps to address the implications remains to be seen. What is certain is that this tragedy has brought the geopolitical stakes of the South Caucasus and its neighboring regions into sharper focus.

The Azerbaijan Airlines crash has the potential to accelerate a strategic recalibration in the South Caucasus. If Russia continues its pattern of opacity and deflection, it risks alienating not only Azerbaijan but also other regional actors who may see Moscow as an unreliable partner. In contrast, Azerbaijan stands to gain greater international sympathy and leverage by positioning itself as a victim of Russian negligence or aggression.

This event may further tilt the balance of power in favor of Turkey and the West, eroding Russia’s ability to act as the dominant arbiter in the region. Over time, this could lead to a redefinition of the South Caucasus, not as a Russian sphere of influence, but as a contested space where multiple powers compete for economic and strategic advantage. For Azerbaijan, the incident offers a moment to assert its sovereignty and reshape its foreign policy trajectory in a way that diminishes Moscow’s hold over the region.

Read the whole story
· · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
10 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Plane burst into flames after skidding off runway at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 151

1 Share

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A passenger plane burst into flames Sunday after it skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, killing at least 151 people, officials said, in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.

The National Fire Agency said rescuers raced to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people at the airport in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that was returning from Bangkok and that the crash happened at 9:03 a.m. local time.

At least 151 people — 71 women, 71 men and nine others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the fire agency said. The death toll is expected to rise further as the rest of the people aboard the plane remain missing about six hours after the incident.

Emergency workers pulled out two people, both crew members, to safety, and local health officials said they remain conscious. The fire agency deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire. About 1,560 firefighters, police officers, soldiers and other officials were also sent to the site, it said.

Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, apparently with its landing gear still closed, overrunning the runway and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, triggering an explosion. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.

Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognizable among the wreckage. Lee said that workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said.

Transport Ministry officials later said their early assessment of communication records show the airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area. The pilot sent out a distress signal shortly before the plane went past the runway and skidded across a buffer zone before hitting the wall, the officials said.

Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said workers have retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the plane’s black box, which will be examined by government experts investigating the cause of the crash and fire. Joo said the runway at the Muan airport will be closed until Jan. 1.

Emergency officials in Muan said the plane’s landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.

The Transport Ministry said the plane’s passengers include two Thai nationals.

Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected by the accident in a post on social platform X. Paetongtarn said she ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance immediately.

Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of the Airports of Thailand, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of abnormal conditions with the aircraft or on the runway.

Jeju Air in a statement expressed its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.”

In a televised news conference, Kim E-bae, Jeju Air’s president, deeply bowed with other senior company officials as he apologized to bereaved families and said he feels “full responsibility” for the incident. Kim said the company hadn’t identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular checkups and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.

Family members wailed as officials announced the names of some victims at a lounge in the Muan airport.

Boeing said in a statement on X it was in contact with Jeju Air and is ready to support the company in dealing with the crash.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said.

It’s one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history. The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997, when a Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring approximately 200.

Sunday’s accident was also one of the worst landing mishaps since a July 2007 crash that killed all 187 people on board and 12 others on the ground when an Airbus A320 slid off a slick airstrip in Sao Paulo and collided with a nearby building, according to data compiled by the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit group aimed at improving air safety. In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames, according to the safety foundation.

The incident came as South Korea is embroiled into a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, leading Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.

Choi ordered officials to employ all available resources to rescue the passengers and crew before he headed to Muan. Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, will preside over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.

__

Associated Press journalists Bobby Caina Calvan in New York and Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Read the whole story
· · ·
Michael_Novakhov
12 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Pantsir Packed With Drone-Intercepting Mini Missiles Unveiled By Russia

1 Share

Russia has announced a new variant of its Pantsir short-range air defense system that can be loaded with as many as 48 small interceptors and that it says is specifically intended to help shield critical infrastructure from uncrewed aerial threats. For some time now, Ukrainian forces have been launching increasingly longer-range drone attacks on military bases and industrial facilities inside Russia.

The Pantsir-SMD-E made its debut at the Army 2024 exhibition, which opened at the Patriot Park in Kubinka outside of Moscow yesterday. The SMD-E variant was shown in a self-contained static configuration, but it is not hard to imagine that it could be integrated onto various tactical trucks or other platforms, including ships, like previous Pantsir types.

The new SMD-E variant of Pantsir has a turret that can be loaded with up to 12 57E6-series short-range command-guided surface-to-air missiles, as many as 48 TKB-1055 very-short-range interceptors, or a mix thereof. The TKB-1055 is a relatively recent development focused heavily on defeating drone threats and has a stated maximum range of just over 4 miles (7 kilometers) compared to the 57E6-E’s nearly 12 and a half miles (20 kilometers), per a placard seen at Army 2024.

The Pantsir-SMD-E air defense missile system for the defense of stationary objects was brought to the Army-2024 forum. This is a new stage in the development of Pantsir, designed primarily to combat drones in the context of an ongoing special military operation.

The key… pic.twitter.com/10U8mKgX8M

— Rybar Force (@rybar_force) August 12, 2024

Like previous versions of Pantsir, the SMD-E’s turret also has two integrated radars, one for spotting and tracking targets and another fire control type for directing the command-guided missiles. Where the new variant notably differs from most of the preceding versions of the system is in its lack of gun armament.

Most ground-based Pantsir variants have turrets armed with two twin-barrel 2A38M 30mm automatic cannons, as well as up to 12 57E6-series missiles. The navalized Pantsir-M developed for installation on ships substitutes the 2A38M cannons for six-barrel 30mm AO-18KDs.

In 2022, a model of a missile-only Pantsir-SM-TBM version, able to be loaded with up to 24 57E6-series missiles at a time, emerged. The SM-TBM variant also lacked a search radar, relying instead on offboard sensors (including on other Pantsirs) for initial cueing. It is unclear how far the development of that variant has progressed.

"Pantsir-SM TBM" SAM system.
"TBM" is a transport and combat vehicle and will operate as part of other "Pantsir" SAM system.
There are no cannon armament and no detection radar, which allowed to increase the ammunition of anti-aircraft missiles from 12 to 24; pic.twitter.com/iGYPVaeRja

— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) June 29, 2022

“The Pantsir family of systems is constantly being improved and expanded. The new Pantsir-SMD-E is designed to protect stationary objects from air attack weapons, including massive drone attacks,” Bekkhan Ozdoyev, head of the “arms cluster” of Russia’s state-run Rostec defense conglomerate, said according to a machine translation of an official press release on the new Pantsir variant. “To combat these targets, the system can carry 48 short-range missiles. These are effective and inexpensive ammunition that reliably protect against small drones, and allow, figuratively speaking, not to shoot sparrows with a cannon.”

If they work as advertised, using the smaller and lower-cost TKB-1055s would offer advantages over the 57E6 family in the point-defense role, especially in terms of magazine depth. They could be even more effective combined with newer radars already introduced onto previous versions of Pantsir that are said to increase the total number of targets the system can track and engage simultaneously. Deleting the cannons and their feed systems could also reduce the SMD-E’s cost and time to manufacture compared to other versions of the system, at least to a degree. These latter points could be particularly important given the impacts of extensive U.S. and other Western sanctions on Russia’s defense industry.

At the same time, the shift away from guns seems curious given that the Ukrainian military has been routinely demonstrating that traditional anti-aircraft artillery remains an effective and low-cost tool for shooting down subsonic drones and cruise missiles, as well as other lower-flying aerial threats. In more of a direct comparison with Pantsir, Ukraine’s air defense forces have been making especially good use of German-made Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, which are armed only with a pair of radar-directed 35mm automatic cannons. Ukraine has now begun receiving newer Skynex anti-aircraft guns from Germany, as well.

Ukraine Air Force Command releases footage of German-made Gepard anti-aircraft gun taking down what it says is a Shahed drone in the Odesa region. Gepard has radar and optical target tracking with two guns providing combined firing rate of >1,000 rounds per minute. pic.twitter.com/P9g4Mem8fB

— Chris Partridge (@Chris1603) September 4, 2023

Ukraine: A German supplied 'Gepard' anti-aircraft gun shooting down a Russian cruise missile. Despite their detractors, these systems have proven highly effective in Ukrainian service.

pic.twitter.com/z2dIPypI7P

— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) December 5, 2022

The Pantsir family has already earned a very mixed reputation since its introduction in the early 2010s, especially due to reportedly poor performance in Syria and Libya. The upgraded radars found on more recent variants are said to have been developed as a direct result of lessons learned from use during operations in Syria.

Regardless, variants of the Pantsir system remain in widespread use in the Russian armed forces, including in Syria, where one fired a missile at a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in 2022.

Pantsirs have also been important components of existing efforts to shield critical military, government, and industrial facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks. Last year, Pantsirs appeared on rooftops in Moscow and near one of President Vladimir Putin’s official residences just outside the capital as Ukraine stepped up its uncrewed aerial assault. These were part of a larger array of additional layered air defenses deployed in and around the Russian capital that also included extra S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile batteries.

In Moscow, a Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system has been placed on the roof of a building of the Central District Department of Education on Teterinsky Lane, for the reasons so far unknown.

55.745352, 37.651179 pic.twitter.com/qMd1NVDYhW

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) January 19, 2023

Furthermore, the explicit focus on using Pantsir-SMD-E for point defense of critical infrastructure against drones underscores how real a danger Ukraine’s uncrewed attackers have come to pose to highly prized facilities deeper and deeper inside Russia. Uncrewed aerial systems present serious threats to Russian forces in frontline fighting in Ukraine, as well.

The routine use of uncrewed aerial systems, including multiple tiers of weaponized types, on both sides of the war in Ukraine has provided clear evidence that drone threats, which are not new, are still evolving in scale and scope. Long-range kamikaze drones look set to be a growing danger on a global level to military forces on the frontlines and critical infrastructure deeper within a country’s home territory.

“So, you know, the problem got complicated here in the last two and a half years, and the proliferation… every country, you know, can afford these kinds of things and we have to go against them,” U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker, his service’s top office in Europe and also NATO’s Allied Air Command, said while speaking about drone threats last month. “We can use them [as] well and put adversaries on the wrong side of the cost curve.”

So, in turn, there has been a surge of interest in counter-drone capabilities worldwide and not just to protect forces on land. As already noted, a navalized version of Pantsir already exists and ships are at ever-increasing risk of being attacked by drones, as has been highlighted by the ongoing crisis in and around the Red Sea.

It is not hard to see a maritime role for Pantsir-SMD-E, or a further anti-drone-focused version thereof. There is a certain general precedent for this already with Israel’s adaptation of the land-based Iron Dome counter-rockets, artillery, and mortars system, which also has a point defense capability against drones and cruise missiles, for use on ships. The Russian Navy has also been observed adding Tor surface-to-air missile systems to ships in an improvised manner to help bolster point air defense capabilities.

Interesante imagen de la INS Lahav (Sa'ar 5) cargando dos baterías Iron Dome a popa. Probablemente estará realizando pruebas para el C-Dome, la versión navalizada de ese sistema que dispondrá de sus propios VLS (silos verticales) en las nuevas corvetas Sa'ar 6.

#Israel#Navypic.twitter.com/jmeb61TEpC

— Israel Defensa

Gabriel Yerushalmi (@Defensa_Israel) January 17, 2021

All of this might also prompt export interest in a system like Pantsir-SMD-E in countries undaunted by the prospect of Western sanctions. A foreign partner could help further defray development and acquisition costs for Russia.

It does remain to be seen how effective, or even widely fielded by Russia, Pantsir-SMD-E ends up being. Still, the new Pantsir variant reflects real and still growing concerns about the threats drones pose that extend well beyond the war in Ukraine and traditional battlefields, in general.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
12 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash: what do we know?

1 Share

Dec 27 (Reuters) - A passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defence systems against Ukrainian attack drones.

At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.

Here is what we know so far:

WHAT HAPPENED?

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from Azerbaijan's capital Baku flew hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to Grozny, in Russia's southern Chechnya region, and crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea around 3 km (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan.

It is not known why the plane veered off hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea.

Russia's aviation watchdog said on Friday the plane had decided to reroute from its original destination amid

dense fog and a local alert over Ukrainian drones, opens new tab

.

WHAT CAUSED THE CRASH?

This is not yet known as an official investigation gets underway.

Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defences had mistakenly shot it down. Pictures of the plane wreckage showed what appeared to be shrapnel damage to the tail section of the plane.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday he had nothing to add and did not want to give any assessments until the official investigation made its conclusions.

Russia's aviation watchdog said on Wednesday the emergency may have been caused by a bird strike. Russia has said it is important to wait for the official investigation to finish its work to understand what happened.

On Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines said preliminary results of an investigation showed the plane experienced "external physical and technical interference", without giving details.

Two passengers on the plane told Reuters that there was at least one loud bang as it approached its original destination Grozny.

INVESTIGATION

Kazakhstan is leading the investigation which will be carried out under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name "Annex 13", governed by the United Nations aviation body ICAO.

The plane's black box, which contains flight data to help determine the cause of a crash, had been found, Interfax reported on Wednesday.

The governments of passengers and crew on board - Azeri, Kazakh, Russian and Kyrgyz - and Brazil, which is home of the planemaker Embraer

(EMBR3.SA), opens new tab

will likely be involved. The United States, where the plane's engine was made, may also participate.

Brazil sent three Air Force investigators to Kazakhstan to take part in the probe. Embraer representatives are also on the ground, according to Kazakhstan's president, local media reported.

Under Annex 13

guidelines, opens new tab

, a preliminary report will be published within 30 days of the incident and a final report within 12 months.

The final report on the accidental downing of a jet in Iran took over a year to be released by Iran's civil aviation body.

IS THERE A PRECEDENT FOR THIS KIND OF INCIDENT?

If confirmed, it would be the third major fatal downing of a passenger jet linked to armed conflict since 2014, according to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, a global database of accidents and incidents.

Previous disasters include the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in 2020 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, killing all 176 people on board.

In 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian BUK missile system with the loss of 298 passengers and crew.

IMPACT ON AIRLINES' OPERATIONS

Azerbaijan's civil aviation body said flights from Baku to Russia would be suspended for safety reasons until the release of the final report. Flydubai has suspended flights to two southern Russian airports since the crash.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Joanna Plucinska in London, Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi and Nailia Bagirova in Baku; Editing by Josephine Mason and Ros Russell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Read the whole story
· · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
13 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Black boxes of downed Azerbaijani jet recovered as questions mount over Russian involvement. Here’s what we know | CNN

1 Share

CNN  — 

Early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, a US official told CNN, as authorities recovered a second black box that they hope will shed light on the cause of the disaster that killed dozens of people.

The signs point to a Russian system striking Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 before it crashed near the city of Aktau, the US official said Thursday.

This is the first time the US has offered an assessment of Wednesday’s crash, which killed at least 38 of the 67 people aboard the plane.

If the early indications are ultimately confirmed, it may have been a case of mistaken identity, the US official said, in which poorly trained Russian units have fired negligently against Ukraine’s use of drones.

Officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia urged people not to speculate about the crash until investigations have concluded.

A commission has been set up to investigate the crash, involving representatives from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said. However, law enforcement agencies of Russia and Azerbaijan will not be allowed to conduct a forensic investigation, he said, according to Kazakh state media.

Here’s what we know about the crash so far.

The plane was traveling from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny, the capital city of the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, before it made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau, Azerbaijan Airlines said on Wednesday.

Russian state media reported that the plane was rerouted due to heavy fog in Grozny.

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the plane set off on Wednesday at 7:55 a.m. Azerbaijan Standard Time (10:55 p.m. Tuesday ET) and crashed about two-and-a-half hours later.

Officials did not immediately explain why the plane had crossed the Caspian Sea, when Baku and Grozny are to its west and Aktau is to its east.

A second black box had been recovered at the crash site, state news agency Kazinform reported Thursday, which authorities hope will provide important information to help investigators determine what happened.

It will take about two weeks to read the black boxes found at the scene, Bozumbayev said, according to Kazakh state media.

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev said Thursday that a Kazakh control center received a signal from Russia around 45 minutes before the plane crashed, saying that the flight was being diverted.

The Russian dispatcher said that the aircraft was experiencing a failure in its control systems, and that the crew decided to fly to Aktau after receiving reports of bad weather, Karabayev said. The dispatcher later said that an “oxygen tank exploded in the passenger cabin, causing passengers to lose consciousness,” according to Karabayev.

While the crew made two landing approaches at Aktau airport, the aircraft deviated from its course, and lost communication with dispatchers when it crashed, Karabayev said.

Flightradar24 said in a social media post that the aircraft was “exposed to GPS jamming and spoofing near Grozny.” GPS jamming can significantly hinder a plane’s ability to navigate and communicate, Flightradar24 said, creating potential safety risks.

Data and video of the crash also “indicate possible control issues with the aircraft,” Flightradar24 said.

At least 38 of the 67 people on board the plane were killed in the crash, Kazakh authorities confirmed, including two pilots and a flight attendant.

Some 29 survivors, two of whom are children, were pulled from the wreckage, Bozumbayev said.

Of those on board, 37 of the passengers were Azerbaijan citizens and 16 were from Russia, along with six from Kazakhstan and three from Kyrgyzstan, according to preliminary data from Kazakhstan’s transport ministry.

On Thursday, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Health Timur Muratov said nine Russian citizens and 14 Azerbaijani citizens had been repatriated to their respective countries, according to Kazakh state media.

Six patients were still being treated in Aktau, including three Azerbaijani citizens and three Kyrgyz citizens, he said. Four of those six are in the intensive care unit, while the condition of one patient remains extremely serious and unstable, he added.

Video and images of the plane after it crashed show perforations in its body that look similar to damage from shrapnel or debris. The cause of these holes has not been confirmed.

Video shows moment plane crashes in Kazakhstan

00:31 - Source: CNN

Azerbaijan Airlines initially told AZERTAC that the incident was caused by the aircraft colliding with a flock of birds, the outlet reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency also said the plane crashed after colliding with birds.

However, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, part of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, disputed this, claiming on social media that the plane was “shot down by a Russian air defense system.”

The crash came shortly after Ukrainian drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

“Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny but failed to do so,” Kovalenko said, speculating that authorities will try to cover up the real reason behind the crash, including the holes in the plane, as it would be “inconvenient” to blame Russia.

Justin Crump, an intelligence, security and defense expert and the CEO of risk advisory company Sibylline, told BBC Radio 4 on Thursday that the plane being fired at by Russia is “the best theory that fits all the available facts that we know of.” Crump added that Russian air defenses were active in Grozny around the time that the plane was damaged.

“I don’t think this is deliberate at all,” he noted, pointing out that Russia is “very worried” about longer-range active Ukrainian drones that are “very often not getting shot down.”

Osprey Flight Solutions, a UK-based company that analyzes security risks in the aviation sector, also said in an alert to airlines that the flight “was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

The US official who talked to CNN on Thursday did not say what type of system may have taken down the passenger jet. Russia has a number of anti-aircraft systems, including its advanced S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as its medium-range Pantsir system and others.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that it would be wrong to speculate about the cause of the crash before an investigation has been carried out. On Friday, when asked if he would comment on reports that Russia shot down the plane, he said he had nothing to add to his previous statement.

Maulen Ashimbayev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s senate, said Thursday that “the nature of these damages and the causes of the disaster are currently unknown.”

Brazilian authorities and representatives of the plane’s manufacturer Embraer are expected to arrive in Kazakhstan, according to Azerbaijan’s state news agency, as authorities begin the process of piecing together the events leading up to the crash.

“We have preserved the wreckage of the plane at the scene of the accident in the same condition as it crashed. The area is fenced off. No one will enter. This will help them investigate the incident as required,” Bozumbayev said, according to Kazakh state media.

Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev said experts were due to arrive in the country on Friday and that “this process is underway now – fragments, details are being collected,” according to state news agency Kazinform.

Bozumbayev said that “even the preliminary cause cannot be determined yet, as specialists are needed for that.”

“They will conduct the work, and then it will be clear,” Bozumbayev said Thursday.

Bozumbayev also said they had not received accounts of the accident from Russia or Azerbaijan. “Therefore, it is impossible to refute any version,” he said, according to Kazinform.

CNN’s Darya Tarasova contributed to this report.

Read the whole story
· · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
13 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 6

Портрет дня: Ильхам Алиев — президент Азербайджана, развернувший в Баку самолёт, летящий в Москву

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
14 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Russia accused of shooting down Azerbaijan passenger plane

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
14 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Russian air-defense system downed Azerbaijan plane, sources say

1 Share
  • Summary
  • Companies
  • Azerbaijan's preliminary thesis: Russia defences downed plane
  • At least 38 people were killed in Wednesday's crash
  • Plane was in an area where Russia has downed Ukrainian drones Kazakhstan says no conclusions yet from its investigation
  • Kremlin: Not proper to comment until investigation is finished

BAKU, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Russian air defences downed an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan's investigation into the disaster told Reuters on Thursday.

Flight J2-8243 crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defence systems against Ukrainian drone strikes.

The Embraer

(EMBR3.SA), opens new tab

passenger jet had flown from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny, in Russia's southern Chechnya region, before veering off hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea.

It crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

Officials did not explain why it had crossed the sea. The nearest Russian airport on the plane's flight path, Makhachkala, was closed on Wednesday morning.

One of the Azerbaijani sources familiar with Azerbaijan's investigation into the crash told Reuters that preliminary results showed the plane was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defence system. Its communications were paralysed by electronic warfare systems on the approach into Grozny, the source said.

"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft," the source said.

Three other sources confirmed that the Azeri investigation had come to the same preliminary conclusion. Russia's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

A U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday there were early indications a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane. Canada said it was deeply concerned by reports that Russian air defence may have struck the aircraft.

"We call on Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident and to accept its findings," the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev said he could neither confirm nor deny the thesis that Russian air defences downed the plane.

Asked about the possibility that Russian air defences shot at the plane, the Kazakh transport prosecutor for the region where the plane came down said the investigation had yet to reach a firm conclusion.

Item 1 of 9 Plane crash, near Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. REUTERS/Azamat Sarsenbayev

[1/9]Plane crash, near Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. REUTERS/Azamat Sarsenbayev Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

The Kremlin, asked before the Reuters report about the idea that the aircraft had been shot at by Russian air defences, said it would be improper to comment until the inquiry was concluded.

"It is wrong to build hypotheses before the conclusions of the investigation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

WRECKAGE

Footage shot by passengers on the plane before it crashed showed oxygen masks down and people wearing life vests. Later footage showed bloodied and bruised passengers climbing out of the plane. There were 29 survivors.

Pictures of the plane wreckage showed what appeared to be shrapnel damage to the tail section of the plane.

Aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions said in an alert to airlines on Wednesday that footage of the wreckage and the circumstances around the air space in southwest Russia indicated the possibility that the airliner was hit by some form of anti-aircraft fire.

Ukrainian military drones have repeatedly targeted Russia's southern regions in recent months, triggering Russian air defences. Russia and Ukraine have been at war since Moscow's invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry had reported the downing of 59 Ukrainian drones over several regions.

Some were reportedly shot down in closed air space over regions bordering Ukraine, including the Sea of Azov. Flight operations were reportedly temporarily suspended at Russia’s Kazan Airport due to the activity.

In addition, publicly available ADS-B flight tracking data shows that the Azerbaijani aircraft experienced GPS jamming throughout its flight over southwest Russia, the alert said.

Russia uses advanced electronic jamming equipment to confuse Ukrainian drone location and communication systems and a large number of air defence systems have been deployed to shoot down the drones.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Nailia Bagirova in Baku and Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi; Additional reporting by Tamara Vaal in Astana, Joanna Plucinska, Filipp Lebedev in London; writing by Felix Light, Angus MacSwan, Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Bell; editing by Andrew Heavens, Mark Heinrich and Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Read the whole story
· · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
14 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Kazakhstan plane crash: Expert explains how Russians may have downed aircraft

1 Share

Russians may have struck the Embraer 190 aircraft of AZAL Airlines, which crashed in Kazakhstan, using a Pantsir air defense system. These missile and artillery systems were recently deployed to Chechnya, said aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.

"Well, it definitely wasn't birds. I noticed two different sizes (of impact holes - ed.). Most likely, these are missiles from the Pantsir system. However, the Pantsir is a missile and artillery system, capable of striking with both. It seems to me that it struck with both types of weapons in this case," the expert stated.

He recalled that just days before the plane crash, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, requested the Pantsir air defense system from Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Kryvolap, these systems were stationed near the airfield in Grozny, from where the plane was downed.

The expert noted that the Pantsir system also has an automatic target engagement mode. While the operator can adjust it, this requires practice to ensure smooth coordination.

"There is also an automatic mode designed for situations where multiple targets are approaching from different directions. The operator can intervene to prioritize the most significant target. Essentially, yes, (the system decides what to engage on its own - ed.), but the operator can override it. However, proper training is needed to establish effective coordination between the machine and the operator. In this case, there wasn’t enough time for such training. Whatever was pressed, was pressed; whatever was hit, was hit," Kryvolap explained.

Airplane crash in Kazakhstan

On December 25, an Embraer 190 passenger plane of AZAL Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board. According to the latest information, 38 people died in the crash.

The Azerbaijani airplane was flying from Baku to Grozny. It is reported that in Grozny, where drones had been shot down before, the plane was shot down, so it was unable to land. As a result, the Embraer 190 crashed near the city of Aktau.

Initially, it was claimed that the plane crashed because of a collision with a flock of birds. However, the remains of the plane were shown online, with traces of anti-aircraft missile debris on the body.

According to Euronews, Azerbaijan has confirmed that the plane crash was caused by a Russian missile.

Read the whole story
· ·
Michael_Novakhov
14 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Russian air defense AI system linked to Azerbaijani plane crash

1 Share
Read the whole story
Michael_Novakhov
14 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete

Russian air defence or bird strike: What caused Azerbaijan Airlines flight to crash?

1 Share

azerbaijan plane crashes, kazakhastanA drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan December 25, 2024. (Reuters)

A plane crash near Kazakhstan’s Aktau city, which killed 38 passengers on board, was likely caused by Russian anti-aircraft system, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Authorities in Russia and Azerbaijan, however, have offered different reasons for what may have led to the crash, citing preliminary investigations.

The WSJ report cites an alert to airlines by UK-based independent aviation security firm, Osprey Flight Solutions, which states that the flight “was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defence system.” The chief intelligence officer of the firm was also quoted stating the same in an interview. “Video of the wreckage and the circumstances around the airspace security environment in southwest Russia indicates the possibility the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire,” said Matt Borie.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight, carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, was en route to Grozny in Russia from Baku, when it crashed near the Caspian Sea on Wednesday morning.

What happened with Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243? Here’s what we know so far

The Embraer 190 plane had diverted from its planned course to Russia and was attempting an emergency landing 3 kilometers from Aktau.

There are conflicting reports on what caused the plane to attempt an emergency landing.

What Azerbaijan says: President Ilham Aliyev has said that bad weather may have caused the flight to change its path. He added, however, that it was too soon to speculate and an investigation into the matter was underway. Officials said that the black box which records flight data has been recovered and may provide some clues into the incident.

What Russia says: The country’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary investigation showed that a bird strike may have caused the plane to attempt an emergency landing. However, experts cited by news agency Reuters have cast doubts over this theory. The report states that while collision with birds can cause the pilot to lose control of the plane, it is unlikely to go “wildly off course”.

What Ukraine says: Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian national security official, blamed Russia for the crash in a post on social media platform X. “This morning, an Embraer 190 aircraft of an Azerbaijani airline, flying from Baku to Grozny, was shot down by a Russian air defense system. However, admitting this is inconvenient for everyone, so efforts will be made to cover it up, even the holes in the remaining parts of the aircraft,” he wrote.

azerbaijan plane crashes A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan December 25, 2024. (Reuters)

The WSJ report cites experts stating that the “perforations in the plane’s tail section” suggest that the crash could have been a result of a “possible missile attack or the work of air defenses”.

Footage circulating on social media and verified by news agencies shows the plane in a steep descent before engulfing into flames as it crashes onto the ground. Another video shows injured survivors being helped out of the wreckage.

mail logo

Daily newsletter specially tailored for Indian Express global readers

Reports have also indicated that there were drone strikes in two regions next to Chechnya, where Grozny is located, on Wednesday morning.

— with inputs from Wall Street Journal, Reuters and AP

Why should you buy our Subscription?

You want to be the smartest in the room.

You want access to our award-winning journalism.

You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.

Choose your subscription package

Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
Michael_Novakhov
15 days ago
reply
http://michael_novakhov.newsblur.com/
Share this story
Delete
Next Page of Stories
Loading...