Ukraine war latest: UK govt criticises 'reckless' Russia - and rejects Putin's response to plane crash - Sky News

Vladimir Putin has spoken to Azerbaijan’s president about the plane crash and apologised as the “tragic incident” took place in Russian airspace. Russia has accused UK and US spies of trying to provoke attacks against Russia’s military bases in Syria to force their evacuation.
Saturday 28 December 2024 21:57, UK
That’s all for our coverage this evening, but we’ll be back with more updates and analysis tomorrow.
If you’re just checking in, here is a recap of the key events that occurred today.
Vladimir Putin has signed into law stricter penalties for crimes related to security and the armed forces, according to Ukrainian and Russian media.
Armed rebellion and terrorism now carry 20 years to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole, Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda report.
Foreign citizens found to have been “aiding the enemy” face up to 15 years behind bars.
Members of supposedly “voluntary” military formations are now liable for punishment if they disobey orders or resist a superior, as well as for desertion and voluntary surrender.
“Uncoordinated” protests and “falsifying history” have also been designated extremist threats to Russia.
Russia “will not succeed in concealing” what happened to the Azerbaijan Airlines (AA) plane, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in his evening address.
“Tragically, there were many fatalities, and for all this, the accountability must be borne – the accountability of those who hit the plane, and those in Russia who made all this possible: that the plane was targeted.”
He continued: “We call on every country to put pressure on Russia to stop the lies about this crash – the same lies as were told about MH-17, about the Boeing shot down over the Donetsk region.”
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, the precursor of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Near Kyiv, in the village of Pirogovo, photos show Ukrainian Christmas celebrations.
Dressed in traditional attire, residents are shown dancing, lighting candles and carrying a Bethlehem star to mark the occasion.
The UK has called for an independent investigation into the downing of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane thought to have been caused by a Russian missile.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident, including the family and friends of those who have died,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“President Putin’s statement fails to recognise that the reckless and irresponsible actions of the Russian state pose an acute and direct threat to the interests and national security of other states.
“We call for a full and independent investigation.”
Vladimir Putin apologised “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace” during a call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, but did not admit responsibility.
Both US officials and an Azerbaijani minister have blamed the crash on Russian air defences responding to a Ukrainian drone attack.
Father Christmas, driving a sleigh filled with NATO-branded rockets, is shot out of the sky above Moscow in an apparent new piece of Russian propaganda.
“Good, we don’t need anything foreign in our skies,” says a second Santa in Russian, sitting in what appears to be a control room.
Ukraine Centre for Countering Disinformation shared the video, saying that Russia’s “paranoia about the ‘NATO threat’ has reached new heights”.
Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko reported that it was released after the Azerbaijani Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day – amid speculation it was shot down by Russian air defences.
Sky News has not yet been able to verify the timing of the video’s release, which appeared on pro-Russian social media channels and not from an official source.
Ukraine has received a shipment of US liquefied natural gas for the first time, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, says.
“This is more than just a shipment – it is a strategic step. Despite Russia’s attempts to destroy our energy system during the war, we have achieved yet another victory on the energy front,” Yermak said.
Ukraine, which was partially reliant on Russian gas, has not bought gas directly from Moscow since 2015 after it invaded and annexed Crimea and backed separatist militants in east Ukraine.
The shipment, which came via Greece, was received by DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company.
The Kremlin says an investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines crash will take place in Kazakhstan.
Russian, Azerbaijanian and Brazilian officials will be involved, it said.
The flight crashed in Kazakhstan and, according to the Kremlin, there were Russian and Kazakh citizens on board.
“Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev,” said the Kremlin.
“The heads of state exchanged condolences in connection with the crash.”
Moldova’s prime minister has accused Russia of using energy as a political weapon after Moscow stopped supplying gas to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria.
Dorin Recean said the move would leave residents there without power or heat.
In a statement on Facebook he said Moldova would now consider its legal options, including international arbitration.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has significantly expanded a list of EU and EU member state officials banned from entering the country in response to a new package of EU sanctions.
On Monday the EU imposed its 15th package of sanctions against Russia, including tougher measures against Chinese entities and more vessels from Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers used to evade sanctions on the sale of Russian oil.
The Foreign Ministry said it had responded by adding more unnamed “representatives of security agencies, state and commercial organisations of EU countries, and citizens of EU member states responsible for providing military aid to Kyiv” to its stop list.
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