From the Russian Foreign Ministry:
Good morning. We'll get started today with a few news items that file by RFE/RL's news desk while we were away:
Ukrainian Plane Crashes In Iran, All 176 People Aboard Killed
A Ukrainian commercial airliner crashed on January 8 soon after taking off from Iran's capital, Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, mostly Iranian nationals, but also Western and Ukrainian citizens.
The Boeing 737-800 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran when a fire struck one of its engines, according to Qasem Biniaz, a spokesman for Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry.
The pilot of the aircraft then lost control of the plane and it crashed, Biniaz told state-run IRNA news agency.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko said 82 Iranian citizens were on board, as well as 63 Canadians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three Britons.
Ukraine's Security Council said 11 Ukrainians were also killed in the crash, including nine crew members.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement that he had instructed the country's prosecutor-general to open criminal proceedings over the crash. Zelenskiy said the airworthiness of Ukraine's entire civilian fleet will be tested.
"My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of all passengers and crew," Zelenskiy said, announcing that he was breaking off his visit to Oman to return to Kyiv.
In Photos: Ukrainian Plane Crashes In Iran, All 176 People Aboard Killed
In a separate comment on Facebook, Zelenskiy also warned against speculation about the crash.
"I ask everyone to keep from speculating and putting forth unconfirmed theories about the crash," he wrote.
UIA said the plane underwent its last technical maintenance on January 6. It also said all flights to Tehran have been suspended indefinitely. The company said in a statement that most passengers were in transit and due to connect to other flights on arrival in Ukraine.
According to flight tracking website Planespotters, the plane that crashed was less than 4 years old.
According to UIA’s website, the airline’s Flight PS752 was scheduled to depart Tehran at 5:15 a.m. local time and fly directly to Kyiv’s Boryspil airport.
U.S.-based Boeing said the company was aware of media reports of a plane crash in Iran and was gathering more information. Airline manufacturers usually assist in crash investigations, but such an effort could be affected in this case by U.S. sanctions reinstated after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in May 2018.
The Boeing 737-800 is a common single-aisle, twin engine jetliner used for short- to medium-range flights.
Thousands of the planes are used by airlines around the world.
Introduced in the late 1990s, it is an older model than the Boeing 737 MAX, which has been grounded for nearly 10 months following two deadly crashes.
A number of 737-800 aircraft have been involved in deadly crashes recently.
A FlyDubai 737-800 from Dubai crashed in 2016 while trying to land at Rostov-on-Don airport in Russia, killing 62 on board.
Another 737-800 flight from Dubai, operated by Air India Express, crashed in 2010 while attempting to land in Mangalore, India, killing more than 150 on board.
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, Fars, and IRNA
Ukraine Was Sixth-Biggest Climber In Visa-Free Travel Gains Over Past Decade
The travel freedom of Ukrainian passport holders has doubled since 2010, making Ukraine the world’s sixth-biggest climber in the category over the past decade.
Ukrainians currently enjoy visa-free travel to 128 countries, placing their country 43rd among 199 countries featured in the latest edition of the yearly Henley Passport Index that was published on January 7.
Driving the rise in improved international access was a far-reaching political and economic pact with the European Union following the pro-democracy Maidan uprising of 2014.
Protests in Kyiv started in November 2013 when former President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an Association Agreement with the EU in favor of warmer relations with Moscow.
Aside from the three EU member Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, Ukraine leads the other former Soviet republics in terms of visa-free travel privileges.
Eight spots behind in 51st place is Russia, while Georgia occupies the 53rd spot.
The index of so-called passport power is published in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and was first released in 2006.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.