War in Ukraine: Putin accused of cover-up, Russia calls for censorship of its media on Telegram… update on the situation

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

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

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

These blockages were reported in particular in France, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy, media reported.

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

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

“We reserve the right to respond in the same manner“, she added, castigating a “act of political censorship” contrary to fundamental rights. Neither EU authorities nor Telegram immediately commented on these blockages. The European Union has repeatedly adopted restrictions on Russian media since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Plane crash in Kazakhstan: Aliev accuses Russia of cover-up

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia on Sunday of being responsible for the crash of the airliner in Kazakhstan which killed 38 people and of having wanted to conceal the causes of the accident.

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

“Our plane was shot down by accident.”Ilham Aliev said on state television on Sunday. The plane, he added, was the victim of some sort of electronic jamming and was fired upon as it approached the southern Russian city of Grozny. “Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia”denounced Ilham Aliev, citing statements which attributed the crash to birds or the explosion of a gas cylinder. “We have seen clear attempts to cover up the matter“, further accused the Azerbaijani leader, who maintains close ties with Russia.

The head of state wants Russia to recognize its guilt in the accident and to punish those responsible. Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev spoke by telephone again on Sunday, the Kremlin said. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, assured in a telephone interview with the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan 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 from the Azerbaijan Airlines plane will be sent to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities also announced on Sunday.

“The Accident Investigation Commission decided to send the flight recorders (black boxes) to the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) in Brazil, which is also the country of the manufacturer of the Embraer planethe Kazakh Ministry of Transport said in a statement.

Who is the new President of Georgia?

Georgia's contested new president, Mikhail Kavelashvili, was sworn in on Sunday amid a political crisis after the country's accession negotiations to the European Union (EU) were halted. The decision of 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 demand for membership is largely acclaimed.

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

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Former footballer, conservative, anti-Western… who is Mikheïl Kavelashvili, the new contested Georgian president?

“I take with me the 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 football player, displays very anti-Western and often conspiratorial opinions. In speeches this year, he claimed that Western intelligence agencies were 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 declared this Sunday.