War in Ukraine: Putin accused of cover-up, Russia cries out about censorship of its media on Telegram… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Sunday, December 29, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Blocking of Russian media on Telegram in EU: Russia promises “response”

Russia promised on Sunday a “response” to the apparent blocking of Russian state media on the social network Telegram in several European Union countries, which it denounces as an “act of censorship”.

Since Sunday, the Telegram channels of the state news agency Ria Novosti, the television channels Rossiya 1, Pervy Kanal and NTV, and the newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta have been inaccessible on this network.

These blocks have been reported in particular in France, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy, media reported.

“The systematic cleaning of the information space from any source of unwanted information continues”, denounced the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova.

Denouncing a “permanent campaign of repression against Russian media in almost all countries of the European Union”, she assured that “these and other similar attacks against our media will not go unanswered by Russia”.

“We reserve the right to respond in the same way“, she added, castigating an “act of political censorship” contrary to fundamental rights. Neither EU authorities nor Telegram have immediately commented on the blocks. The European Union has repeatedly imposed restrictions on Russian media since the start of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.

Aliev accuses Russia of cover-up after plane crash in Kazakhstan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday accused Russia of being responsible for the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people and of trying to cover up the cause of the accident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Ilham Aliyev on Saturday for the “tragic accident” that occurred Wednesday in Russian airspace when air defenses were activated, without formally acknowledging Moscow's responsibility.

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“Our plane was shot down by accident,” Ilham Aliyev told state television on Sunday. The aircraft, he added, was hit by some kind of electronic jamming and came under fire as it approached the southern Russian city of Grozny. “Unfortunately, in the first three days we have heard only absurd versions from Russia,” Ilham Aliyev said, citing statements that attributed the crash to birds or a gas cylinder explosion. “We have witnessed clear attempts to cover up the case,” the Azerbaijani leader, who maintains close ties with Russia, added.

The head of state wants Russia to acknowledge its guilt in the accident and punish those responsible. Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev spoke again by phone on Sunday, the Kremlin said. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, assured the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General in a telephone conversation that Moscow has entrusted the investigation to experienced experts and that measures are being taken to establish the causes and circumstances of the incident.

The black boxes of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane will be sent to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities also announced on Sunday.

“The Commission investigating the accident has decided to send the flight recorders (black boxes) to the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents (CENIPA) in Brazil, which is also the country of the Embraer aircraft manufacturer,”, the Kazakh Transport Ministry said in a statement. communiqué.

Who is the new President of Georgia ?

Georgia's new and controversial president, Mikhail Kavelashvili, was sworn in on Sunday amid a political crisis following the halt in the country's accession negotiations with the European Union (EU). The decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party in November to freeze the EU accession process until 2028 has sparked widespread anger in Georgia, where opinion polls show that the application for membership is widely supported.

The outgoing president, a pro-EU critic of the ruling party, Salome Zurabishvili, rejected the legitimacy of Mikhail Kavelashvili in front of her supporters.

Read also: Former footballer, conservative, anti-Western… who is Mikheil Kavelashvili, the new contested Georgian president? ?

“I take with me legitimacy, I take with me the flag, I take with me your trust,” she said before leaving the presidential palace to mingle with her supporters.

Mikhail Kavelashvili, a former professional soccer player, has very anti-Western and often conspiratorial views. In his speeches this year, he has claimed that Western intelligence agencies are trying to push Georgia into war with Russia. “The Georgian people have always understood that peace is the main prerequisite for survival and development,” he said on Sunday.