Russia claims capture of Ukrainian frontline town

Russia claims that its forces have captured the front-line town of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The town has borne the brunt of Russian advances in recent months and is a stepping-stone to the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine has not acknowledged the fall of Kurakhove, which is 35km (21 miles) south of Pokrovsk.

Fierce fighting has also been under way in Russia’s Kursk region in recent days after Ukraine launched a counter-attack on Sunday.

An image taken from social media and supplied by the Reuters news agency appears to show a soldier holding up a Russian flag in Kurakhove. The image has not been verified by the BBC.

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Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia group of forces, told Reuters news agency that, as of Monday morning, Ukrainian forces were still engaging Russian troops inside Kurakhove.

Kurakhove is linked to Pokrovsk by roads that are part of the infrastructure to move troops and supplies along the front line.

The taking of Kurakhove would allow the Russians to go north to attack Pokrovsk from a new direction, analyst Roman Pohorily said.

Russia’s defence ministry also claimed on Monday that the village of Dachenske, which about 8km south of Pokrovsk, had been captured by its forces.

Kyiv’s forces are reportedly suffering from manpower shortages and have been losing ground in the east of Ukraine in recent months, as Russian troops advance.

Russia claims capture of Ukrainian frontline town

BBC

Canada’s Prime Minister, Trudeau, resigns

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will resign. He said this at a news conference on Monday, with a senior government source telling AFP the embattled premier had decided to leave office.

Trudeau, facing his worst political crisis since becoming premier in 2015, is scheduled to address reporters at 10:45 am (1545 GMT).

The government source told AFP that Trudeau had decided to step down, but the timeline remained uncertain.

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Trudeau’s political fortunes plunged to new depths following the surprise resignation in December of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.

In a scathing resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of focusing on political gimmicks to appease voters, including a costly Christmas tax holiday, instead of steadying Canada’s finances ahead of a possible trade war with the United States.

Incoming US president Donald Trump has promised to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports, a measure that could prove devastating to Canada’s economy.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Trudeau, resigns

Russia ‘guilty’ over downed Azerbaijan plane – Azeri president

Azerbaijan president said on Monday that Russia was “guilty” over the downing of an airline last month that Baku says was shot by Russian air defences.

An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 jet crash-landed in Kazakhstan on December 25, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, after being diverted from a scheduled landing in the southern Russian city of Grozny.

Moscow has admitted its air defences were operational in the area at the time, which it said was under attack from Ukrainian drones.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised that the “incident” occurred in his country’s air space but has not responded to claims the plane was hit by Russian weapons.

“The guilt for the death of Azerbaijani citizens lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday, according to a statement published by his office.

Aliyev was meeting surviving crew and family members of crew who died in the incident.

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The Azerbaijani leader, who is close to Putin, has issued rare fierce criticism of Moscow over the crash, demanding an apology, admission of guilt and the punishment of those found responsible for the “criminal” shooting of the plane.

On Monday he said Russia’s “concealment” of the causes and “delusional versions” being put forward “cause us justifiable anger”.

Initial statements by Russia’s air transport agency that the plane had been forced to divert after a bird strike have triggered fury in Baku.

Aliyev said air defence measures for Grozny — the capital of Russia’s southern Chechnya region, where the plane was set to land — were only announced after the plane had been “shot from the ground”.

“If there was a danger to Russian airspace, then the captain of the plane should have been informed straight away,” Aliyev said.

He also questioned why the plane was sent hundreds of kilometres (miles) across the Caspian Sea to the Kazakh city of Aktau for an emergency landing.

“Why it was directed to Aktau, we have no information,” Aliyev said.

Azerbaijan says preliminary results of its investigation show the plane was hit accidentally by a Russian air defence missile.

Russia has opened its own criminal probe but has not said whether it agrees with Baku’s assessment.

The plane’s black boxes have been sent to Brazil for analysis.

Russia ‘guilty’ over downed Azerbaijan plane – Azeri president