Ukraine closes airspace to all Russian planes

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Image captionThe Ukrainian prime minister said all transit flights by Russian planes were being banned

Ukraine has banned all Russian planes from using its airspace and exports of Russian gas to Ukraine have been halted by state-controlled giant Gazprom.

The decision was announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a televised government meeting.

Gazprom said it had halted gas deliveries to Ukraine because it had used up all the gas it had paid for.

But Ukraine said it had stopped buying from Gazprom because it could get cheaper gas from Europe.

The airspace ban applies to military planes as well as civil airliners.

"The Ukrainian government has decided to ban all transit flights for all Russian airlines in Ukraine's airspace," said Mr Yatsenyuk.

"The government is instructing [aviation authority] Ukraerorukh, in line with the norms of international law, to inform the Russian Federation that Russian airlines and Russian aircraft do not have the right to use Ukraine's airspace any longer."

'Serious risks'

Following previous clashes over gas supplies, the two countries had agreed that Ukraine would pay for its gas in advance.

But Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Ukraine had already used up all the gas it had paid for.

In a statement, Mr Miller said that "deliveries have been stopped until the receipt of new payments from the Ukrainian company.

"The refusal to buy Russian gas will create serious risks for the reliable transit of gas to Europe through Ukraine and for the supply of gas to Ukrainian consumers during the upcoming winter," he added.

But Mr Yatsenyuk dismissed Mr Miller's comments out of hand.

He said his government had decided to stop buying gas from Russia as it could get a better deal elsewhere.

"The government has made the decision to order [Ukraine's national oil and gas company] Naftohaz to stop buying Russian gas.

"They got it all wrong. It is not them who are not supplying gas to us, it is us who are not buying gas from them. This is being done because offers that have come from our European partners - price offers - are much better than the offers from our eastern neighbour."

Russia cut off gas to Ukraine in June 2014 as the conflict between the government in Kiev and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine escalated.

However, it resumed them following the pre-payment deal.

About 15% of gas used in Europe travels through Ukraine. The EU has been holding talks aimed at keeping supplies running between the two sides.

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Russia's Syria plan: Just the beginning

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Image captionThe US began its campaign of air strikes in Syria in September 2014; Russian air strikes began a year later

Russia's military intervention has dramatically changed the calculations of all involved.The Russian proposal on Syria - it is perhaps an overstatement to describe this yet as a peace plan - represents the first statement of Moscow's view as to what should happen on the political front to bring about an end to the crisis.

Russian air power may not yet have rolled back President Bashar al-Assad's opponents on all fronts. But it has produced some local successes for the Syrian government forces.

Above all, it has signalled that Moscow will not allow the Syrian government to fall. And thus it has made clear, for the immediate future at least, that the path to any settlement runs through Moscow.

But President Vladimir Putin is hard-headed. He knows if Russia's intervention is to be "successful" in his own terms, then it must be limited in both scope and duration. A more expansive role risks entanglement or worse.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionRussia's military intervention dramatically changed the situation in Syria

That is why Russia is now rolling out its proposals on the diplomatic track, and they make interesting reading.

Two problems

Moscow wants to see a new Syrian constitution within 18 months. This would be put to a popular referendum to be followed - if approved - by presidential elections.

It builds upon a plan agreed in June 2012 by the major powers calling for the establishment of a transitional governing body for Syria, with full executive powers, that would itself lead to fresh elections.

In this sense, the Russian proposals, which appear to have been leaked at the UN, are in part a restatement of the Geneva communique of 2012, but recast in a Russian accent.

But two fundamental problems are immediately apparent:

• First, there is the position of President Assad himself. The leaked document makes no mention of Mr Assad standing down during the transitional process, though it does say: "The president of Syria will not chair the constitutional commission"
• The second problem is that of inclusivity - who actually will be asked to participate in the eventual peace talks?

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThere are many opposition groups in Syria, but they have ideological and political differences

The Russian proposal speaks of the launching of a political process between the Syrian government and "a united delegation of opposition groups".

But what exactly does this mean? Will it include many of the rebel groups backed by Turkey, the Gulf Arabs and the West, some of who have taken the brunt of Russian air strikes? How can these diverse and in many cases highly fragmented and localised groups be pulled together into a delegation that can speak with a common voice?

Up to a point, the Russians are clear as to who will not be at the table. Moscow wants the UN to make a clear distinction between what it calls "opposition and "terrorist" groups. The so-called Islamic State clearly falls into the latter camp, but the Russians say they also want "other terrorist groups" to be excluded.

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Who is fighting whom in Syria?

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Media captionWho’s fighting whom in Syria? Explained in 90 seconds

The groups fighting President Assad

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Difficult path

Leaving aside these essential details, there is much in the broad lines of the Russian proposal that other key players might agree with. And in terms of maintaining momentum ahead of the next round of formal talks in Vienna on Saturday, the Russian initiative is significant.

However, what it leaves out underscores just how difficult the path ahead is.

The Vienna talks do not involve either the Syrian government or the key rebel groups.

Vienna also does not simply represent a gathering of disinterested parties. All certainly want to bring peace to Syria. The regional instability and the refugee flows prompted by Syria's bitter civil wars present a crisis for both the Middle East and Europe.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionSyrians make up the largest group of refugees entering Europe

Add in the dangers of wider radicalisation, and this matters to Moscow too.

Russia and Iran are of course staunch allies of Mr Assad - at least for now. But other players such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arabs have all taken sides in this battle.

They want peace but on terms that leave a Syria that fits in with their particular security concerns and their perceptions of the future of the region.

This is only the beginning of what promises to be a long and complex process. But it is at least a start.

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Where key players stand on Assad

• US: President Assad must go, but that does not need to happen before apolitical transition process get under way
• Saudi Arabia: President Assad must go "within a specific timeframe" and before any elections for a new government
• Turkey: President Assad must go, though could remain for a "symbolic" six months
• SNC (main Western- and Gulf Arab-backed anti-Assad opposition): President Assad must go, and cannot be part of any political process
• Russia: President Assad should not be forced to go, Syrians should hold elections to decide who rules them
• Iran: President Assad should not step down, Syrians should decide their own political future

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Former Putin aide Mikhail Lesin found dead in US hotel

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Image captionA US senator called for an investigation into Mr Lesin's assets last year

A former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been found dead in Washington DC, Russian officials say.

Mikhail Lesin, 57, Russia's former press minister and a one-time head of the powerful Gazprom-Media Holding group, died on Thursday, they said.

Russian media, quoting his family, said he suffered a heart attack.

The Washington Post quoted Russian embassy officials as saying Mr Lesin's body was found in a room at the Dupont Circle hotel.

It reported that police were investigating the death of a man but that he had not yet been formally identified.

Last year, Mississippi senator Roger Wicker called for an investigation into Mr Lesin, saying his fortune "raises serious questions".

In a letter to the US Department of Justice, Sen Wicker said Mr Lesin bought property worth $28m (£18.6m) in Los Angeles for his family after finishing work as a civil servant.

Sen Wicker asked how a former civil servant would have been able to buy and maintain expensive property, and expressed concern their purchase may have involved people and groups on a US sanctions list.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionVladimir Putin spoke of Mikhail Lesin's "enormous contribution" to Russian media

BBC Russian said Mr Lesin was for a long time considered one of the most influential figures in the Russian media market and in the corridors of power.

Mr Lesin worked as an aide to the presidency between 2004 and 2009, when he helped advise on the creation of the news channel Russia Today.

Late on Friday, Mr Putin hailed "the enormous contribution made by Mikhail Lesin to the formation of modern Russian media", according to Tass.

Last year, Mr Lesin was accused of trying to force a radio station in which he was a shareholder to cut an interview with opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

And Sen Wicker's letter said Mr Lesin "led the Kremlin's effort to censor Russia's independent television outlets".

He resigned from Gazprom-Media last year.

The Ria-Novosti agency said he leaves a wife, son and daughter.

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Russian plane crash: Egypt says intelligence not shared

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Image captionSecurity concerns have led to many tourists being stranded at Sharm el-Sheikh airport

The US and the UK have both said intelligence points to the strong possibility it was caused by a bomb.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has accused unnamed countries of failing to share intelligence relating to the crash of the Russian Metrojet plane a week ago.

The UK halted flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and is repatriating tourists.

The Airbus 321 came down in the Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 on board shortly after leaving the resort.

"We are the party that is the most closely connected to the issue," Mr Shoukry said.

"We expected that the information provided on a technical level would be provided to us on a technical level, instead of it being released to the media in this public manner."

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"Egypt is co-operating to reassure these countries that the [security] measures adopted in Egyptian airports conform to international standards," he added.

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Media captionEgyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has criticised the lack of intelligence sharing

Separately the Egyptian head of the international team investigating the crash, Ayman al-Muqaddam, confirmed reports that a noise had been heard in the last second of recording on the cockpit voice recorder, but said the sound still had to be analysed.

He said his committee had not been provided with evidence of any particular scenario, adding that "all scenarios are on the table".

They would examine any evidence provided to them, he added.

French aviation officials familiar with the investigation on Friday told the BBC the crash was not caused by a technical failure. Other French officials said the flight data recorder suggested the cause was a "violent, sudden" explosion.

French investigators are involved because France is one of several countries with shareholdings in Airbus, the plane's manufacturer.

Flights suspended

Mr Shoukry also criticised a failure to co-operate in fighting terrorism, accusing some countries of "concentrating on their self-interests" and underestimating the terrorism challenges facing Egypt.

However, the UK ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, said he had personally been in close contact with the Egyptian government round the clock.

"We've made all the information available and we explained to them the basis for our decision-making," he told the BBC.

The UK announced on 5 November that it was suspending flights and working to bring its citizens home after reviewing airport security at Sharm el-Sheikh.

Most of the victims of the crash were Russian. Russia said on Friday it was suspending flights to Egypt as a whole and recommending its holidaymakers - numbering some 80,000 - return home.

Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Saturday that 10 flights carrying returning Russians had already left Egypt.

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Media captionReports say the recorders reveal everything was normal on the flight - until the sound of an explosion

Militants known as Sinai Province and linked to the Islamic State group (IS) say they downed the plane, but have not said how.

IS has called for a war against both Russia and the US over their air strikes in Syria.

The American network NBC, quoting unnamed US officials, said on Friday that communications had been intercepted between IS officials in Syria and people in Sinai about how the jet had been brought down.

"They were clearly celebrating," NBC quoted the official as saying.

Tourism contributed more than 12% to Egypt's economy in 2013 and the latest measures will hit it hard, analysts say. One in five foreign tourists in Egypt is Russian.

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