The passenger plane of the Azerbaijani airline AZAL, which crashed in the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, was fired upon in the airspace of the capital of Chechnya. The fact that this is a proven fact was reported by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze commented on the introduction of sanctions by the United States against the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated that attempts to speculate on human grief are absolutely unacceptable. According to him, the Russian side proceeds from the fact that before drawing any conclusions, it is necessary to wait for the results of the official investigation.

A "Carpet" plan has been introduced at the Severny International Airport in Grozny, meaning that arrivals and departures there are temporarily limited. This was reported to Interfax by the airport's general director, Alvi Shakhgiriev.

The Russian Federation will not give an assessment of the plane crash near Aktau until the investigation concludes. At the same time, the Kremlin saw statements from Baku that Russia should apologize for the air defense systems hitting the Azerbaijani airliner. This position was voiced by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov.

Azerbaijani airline AZAL suspends flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, as well as to Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa and Samara until the final investigation into the causes of the crash of the Embraer passenger plane is completed. The reason for this decision is the risks to flight safety.

The Embraer 190 passenger airliner of Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed on December 25 in the Kazakh city of Aktau, was hit by a missile fired by a Russian anti-aircraft missile system. This interpretation of the events was voiced by Euronews, citing unnamed sources in the government of Azerbaijan, and today it has been supported by many publications and bloggers. The fact that the plane was damaged by a Russian air defense system may be indicated by photo and video footage of holes in the skin of its surviving wreckage.

During the summit of the EAEU countries in St. Petersburg, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced via video link that his delegation will not go to Minsk next year either. Since 2025, Belarus has been the country chairing the EAEU, and Yerevan will again participate only remotely.

The explosion in the Alania Mall shopping center in Vladikavkaz this morning occurred as a result of a drone crash. This was reported by the head of North Ossetia, Sergei Menyailo, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. According to the department, drones attacked North Ossetia, Ingushetia, and Chechnya on the morning of December 25.

The Secretary General of the "Georgian Dream" party Kakha Kaladze said that the authorities of his country have not deviated from the European path. According to him, the ruling party is the force that "brought our country closer to Europe more than anyone else."