However, pro-government MP Rasim Musabekov was clear: “The plane was shot down over Russian territory, in the skies above Grozny. Denying this is impossible.” He told AFP news agency the plane had been damaged and the pilot had asked to make an emergency landing in Grozny. Instead of being directed …

Italy’s foreign ministry revealed that Rome’s ambassador to Tehran, Paola Amadei, had paid her a visit to check on the conditions in which she was being held, adding that she had been allowed to make two phone calls to her family. It also said Italy “has been working with Iranian …

“Ukrainian combat drones were launching terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz,” said Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia, in a video statement posted on Russia’s Tass news agency. “Because of this a ‘Carpet plan’ was introduced in the area of Grozny airport, providing for the …

Footage shows survivors walking and being dragged away from the tail section of a crashed Azerbaijan Airlines plane. Wednesday’s flight from Baku to Grozny in the Russian republic of Chechnya was diverted across the Caspian Sea and went down near the western Kazakhstan city of Aktau. Some aviation experts have …

In October 2023, another Chinese ship ruptured an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. The Yi Peng 3 and Eagle S are both suspected of being part of a so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers that Russia is using to avoid Western sanctions imposed since the full-scale invasion of …

Finnish police are investigating whether a Russian ship was involved in the sabotage of an electricity cable running between Finland and Estonia. The authorities said on Thursday that they believe the anchor of the Eagle S, a tanker registered with the Cook Islands, may have damaged the Estlink 2 cable, …

Speaking to thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square, the 88-year-old Pope declared: “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” and beyond. “I invite every individual, and all people of all nations… to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions,” …

In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest – the attack left half a million people without water, electricity or heating in bitterly cold temperatures, the regional governor said. Ukrainians across the country woke to sound of air raid alarms, and were told to shelter as the attacks …

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel said the sentences were too lenient and that authorities would appeal, AFP new agency reported. “Hotel owners did not get the punishment we had expected,” Ustel said. “But despite that, everyone from those responsible in the hotel’s construction to the architect was sentenced. That …

Ihor Smilyansky says a dose of humour is added to Ukrposhta’s stamps to maintain Ukrainian morale during the war with Russia. “Humour has become a fighting force for Ukrainians in this war,” he tells the BBC. “Even in the most difficult circumstances you have to take it with a sense …

Analysts say that the plan has been under discussion for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments. Until now Denmark has been very slow to expand its military capacity in Greenland, they say, but if the country is not able to protect …

Ursa Major was in the same area of the Med as another sanctioned Russian ship, Sparta, when it ran into trouble and the two ships had been spotted heading through the English Channel last week, reportedly under escort. Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reported that the Sparta was …

The Hasych family fled Pokrovsk this summer. But they’re determined not to forget the place they still call home. Anna’s mother, Yulia, says she’s glad to see her daughters practising Shchedryk. “We won’t forget the history of our town,” she says. For Anna, the tune brings back memories. “When I …

Yana was found in the Batagaika crater, the world’s largest permafrost (ground that is permanently frozen) crater, by people living nearby. The residents “were in the right place at the right time”, the head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory said. “They saw that the mammoth had almost completely thawed …

A ship docked at a port in Istanbul rolled on its side in the early hours of Monday morning, sliding its cargo into the water. The ship, called Anmah, became unbalanced because of unequal loading of containers onto the vessel, according to local reports. All 15 crew members escaped without …

Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, says there is no shortage of evidence supporting allegations of Ukrainian prisoners of war being executed by Russian troops. According to her, impunity plays a key part, and the Russian army has some serious questions …

The suspect has been ordered into pre-trial detention and faces charges of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm. Usually at this time of the year, German city centres are full of shoppers and revellers drinking mulled wine, but this year the mood is very different. The main Christmas market …

Another eyewitness, Gianni Warzecha, told the BBC he was listening to Christmas music at the market with his girlfriend’s family when “suddenly there was a rumbling and the sound of shattered glass”. “People began to panic,” he said. “I saw the car and people on the floor, people bleeding. There …

At 19:02 local time (18:02 GMT), the first call to emergency services was made. The caller reported that a car had driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in the middle of town. The caller assumed it was an accident, police said, but it soon became clear this wasn’t …

On Sunday morning, Magdeburg police confirmed four women – aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 – were also killed in the incident. “The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm,” its statement said. City officials said around 100 …