Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow plotted ‘acts of air terror’ on airlines around world, Poland PM claims
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Russia of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included “acts of air terror” against airlines.
Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Tusk said: “I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world.”
The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe.
Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put explosives in packages on cargo planes headed to the US, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year.
Azerbaijan accused Russia of unintentionally shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas day, killing 38 people. Mr Putin apologised but stopped short of accepting responsibility.
It comes as Russia launched a new barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure and other energy facilities in western regions in the latest strike on the country’s hobbled power system as it approaches mid-winter.
