Overview

• Meeting Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Vladimir Putin said fragments from two Russian air-defense rockets exploded near an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 over Grozny last December, citing a technical malfunction and pledging compensation.
• Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board died after the jet later crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, with reporting diverging on whether Russian airports refused an emergency landing before the diversion.
• Ukraine reported a mass overnight assault with more than 450 drones and 30 missiles targeting energy and transport infrastructure, causing blackouts in Kyiv and other cities according to officials.
• Local authorities said a seven-year-old child died in Zaporizhzhia during the attacks, and emergency services reported multiple injuries in the capital following strikes and fires in residential buildings.
• The European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution condemning Russian airspace violations and urging a united EU response, including anti-drone defenses, options to neutralize aerial threats, and tougher sanctions.