International
The head of Russian security accuses Ukraine and the West of being involved in the Moscow attack
The head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexandr Bórtnikov, today accused Ukraine of having participated “directly” and the West of being involved in the terrorist attack committed on Friday against a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which was claimed by the Islamic State.
“We believe that the act was prepared by radical Islamists and, naturally, the Western secret services contributed to it,” Bórtnikov told local agencies, who added that the intelligence services of Ukraine had a “direct relationship” with the attack.
While he admitted that Moscow has not yet been able to establish for sure the identity of those who commissioned the attack, he pointed out that “we broadly believe that they are involved in it,” when answering a question about Kiev’s responsibility.
The head of the FSB also pointed out that “the Ukrainian side participated in the instruction and training of fighters in the Middle East.”
“The bandits intended to escape through the border. Right to the territory of Ukraine. According to our preliminary operational data, they were waiting for them there (…) And I tell them a secret: on the other side they wanted to receive them as heroes,” he said.
Bortnikov advocated declaring the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) a “terrorist organization” and considered the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirilo Budanov, a “legitimate objective.”
The head of Russian security admitted that the United States warned them about a possible terrorist attack in Moscow, but added that he would have liked the information to be “more specific.”
He recalled that the same thing happened in 2017, when a suicide bombing killed 16 people on the St. Petersburg subway.
The head of the FSB made these statements after Putin suggested on Monday the existence of a black Ukrainian hand in the attack, despite the fact that the attack was immediately claimed by the Islamic State.
Both the United States and the European Union have urged the Kremlin to rule out as a hypothesis the participation of Ukraine in Friday’s terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, the Basmanni Court in Moscow today decreed two-month pretrial detention for an eighth suspect involved in the terrorist attack.
This is Alisher Kasimov, 32, a Russian citizen of Kyrgysy origin who, according to the investigation, rented his apartment to the alleged perpetrators of the massacre.
For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia does not need Western help to investigate the attack, due to its “double standards”
“I’m sure we can take care of this investigation,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Namibian counterpart, Peya Mushelenga.
The head of Russian diplomacy added that if he accepts Western aid, it would “clearly contain double standards” in order to “promote” a version that suits the West.
For Lavrov, that version consists of the fact that Ukraine “has nothing to do” with the terrorist attack, which left at least 139 dead and more than 180 injured.
In total, Russian security forces have arrested eleven people linked to the attack, claimed by the Islamic State, four of whom personally participated in the massacre.
On Tuesday, other senior Russian officials also spoke of the involvement of Kiev and Western countries in the tragedy, although they admitted that investigators have not yet established all those responsible for the crime.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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