Russia’s aviation chief says that a Ukrainian drone attack was underway in the Russian region that an airliner was destined for before it diverted and crashed earlier this week.

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on Sunday evening.

A passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 people, was likely shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, according to multiple reports.

A senior Russian general was killed in a bomb blast in a residential neighborhood in Moscow, Russian media reported early Tuesday.

RUSSIA downed a passenger plane over Kazakhstan on Christmas Day killing 38 in a fireball crash, according to government sources. An initial investigation by the Azerbaijani government reportedly

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage.

Thirty-eight passengers and crew died when Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from the airline’s hub at Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia ‘s Chechnya, crashed short of Aktau airport in Kazakhstan; 29 survived.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks in the Kremlin with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Move came after evidence suggested Azerbaijani aircraft was downed by Russian air defence systems on Wednesday

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was flying from Baku to Grozny on Christmas Day when it crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.

Vladimir Putin says incident occurred in Russian airspace, but does not acknowledge any possible involvement of Russia.