Overview

• An Azerbaijani passenger plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, with evidence pointing to Russian air defense systems mistakenly targeting the aircraft.
• Russian officials suggested the plane may have been misidentified as a Ukrainian drone during ongoing drone attacks in the region, though Moscow has not officially admitted responsibility.
• Azerbaijan's President Ilham Alijew has called for Russia to take accountability, while Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an apology but stopped short of acknowledging direct culpability.
• The crash has prompted international reactions, with NATO demanding a thorough investigation and airlines like El Al suspending flights to Russia over safety concerns.
• Simultaneously, tensions are rising in the Baltic Sea, where Finland and Estonia accuse Russian-linked vessels of sabotaging undersea cables, further straining relations between NATO and Russia.