KYIV, Dec 26 (Reuters) – A drone believed to be Ukrainian penetrated hundreds of kilometers through Russian airspace and set off a deadly explosion at the main base for Moscow’s strategic bombers in the latest attack exposing gaps in its air defenses.

Moscow on Monday said it shot down the drone, which crashed at Engels Air Base, killing three service members. As per its usual policy on events inside Russia, Ukraine does not comment.

The main air base for the bombers, which Kiev says Moscow has used in recent months to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, is hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border. The same planes are also designed to launch nuclear-capable missiles as part of Russia’s long-term strategic deterrence.

A suspected drone strike had already struck it on December 5, exposing what was widely described as a humiliating hole in Russia’s air defenses at the time, with the latest attack saying Moscow was still unconnected.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that no aircraft were damaged, but Russian and Ukrainian social media accounts said several were destroyed. Reuters could not independently verify the news.

As the war enters its 11th month, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted leaders of other former Soviet states in St. Petersburg on Monday for a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, from which Ukraine has long left.

In televised remarks, Putin made no direct reference to the war, while saying threats to the security and stability of the Eurasian region were growing.

“Unfortunately the challenges and threats in this area, especially from outside, are only increasing every year,” he said. “We must also unfortunately acknowledge that differences of opinion arise between Commonwealth member states.”

Power check

The invasion of Ukraine is a test of Russia’s long-held power among other former Soviet states. Fighting has escalated in recent months between CIS members Armenia and Azerbaijan in a conflict involving Russian peacekeepers, while a border dispute has erupted between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Putin said such differences should be resolved through “friendly assistance and mediation.”

On Sunday, Putin said he was open to talks on Ukraine, blaming Kiev and its Western allies for failing to engage in talks. He has shown no sign of backing down from his demand that Ukraine recognize one-fifth of Moscow’s armed conquest. Kiev said they will fight until Russia leaves.

“We are ready to negotiate with all those involved on acceptable solutions, but it depends on them – we are not negotiators, they are,” Putin said in an interview with Rossiya 1 state television.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the comments: “Russia is attacking Ukraine and killing civilians,” Mykhailo Podoliak said on Twitter. “Russia does not want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday

Moscow’s plans for the “militarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine are well known to Kiev, and it is up to the Ukrainian authorities to carry them out, citing Russian intentions that Ukraine and its Western backers dismiss as propaganda.

Otherwise, “the issue will be decided by the Russian military,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS, despite embarrassing battlefield setbacks to Moscow’s original Ukraine invasion plans.

In his late-night video speech, Zelenskiy said the situation on the frontline in the Donbas region was “difficult and painful” and required all the country’s “strength and concentration”.

He added that Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has left nearly nine million people without electricity. That number is about a quarter of Ukraine’s population.

After the invasion, Ukraine drove Russian forces from the north, defeating them on the outskirts of the capital and forcing a Russian retreat to the east and south. But Moscow still controls territory in the east and south that Putin claims to have annexed.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have died in cities Russia has leveled, and thousands of troops have been killed on both sides, forcing Putin to call in hundreds of thousands of defectors for the first time since World War II.

The Ukrainian military said early Monday that Moscow shelled dozens of front-line towns in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

Since October, Russia has been deliberately attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with drones and missiles. Moscow says the aim is to reduce Kyiv’s fighting capabilities. Ukraine says the attacks had no military motive and were intended to harm civilians as winter sets in, a war crime.

Ukraine’s energy grid operator said on Monday that electricity was still in significant short supply, as emergency consumption restrictions were introduced in five Ukrainian regions and the capital.

Report by Reuters Bureau; Written by Michael Perry, Angus MacSwan, Peter Graf, Matt Spedelnik; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, John Stonestreet and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN
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At least 25 people have died in Erie County, New York as a result A big winter storm It has swept across much of the United States in recent days, district officials said Monday, bringing the nationwide death toll to 47.

The death toll in Erie County, which includes the city of Buffalo, was updated a month after parts of western New York were buried by 43 inches of snow, leaving thousands without power over the Christmas holiday. The The region was attacked A historic blizzard.

“It’s a terrible situation,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference, adding that officials expect another 8 to 12 inches of snow between Monday morning and 1 a.m. Tuesday. “We are trying to recover and remove from the streets and get to areas that are not yet there and it is not effective,” he said.

While bans on driving have been lifted in some communities, one such ban remains in Buffalo, Polancarz said, describing it as “impassable in most areas,” with abandoned cars, trucks and vehicles scattered everywhere. “It takes time to destroy them,” he said.

Rescue crews and hundreds of snowplow drivers were out on Christmas Day, even emergency and rescue vehicles sent to help were stuck in the snow. Officials said 11 abandoned ambulances were dug up on Sunday.

“We had to send in special rescue teams to bring in rescuers,” Pollancarz said Monday on “CNN This Morning,” adding that it was the worst storm he could remember.

“We’re used to snow here and we can handle snow,” he said. “But the wind, the blinding views – it was pitch black – and the bitter cold, it was some of the worst conditions any of us had ever seen.”

Many of New York’s weather-related deaths were in Erie County Some died from exposure or cardiac events while snowing or blowing snow, Pollancarz said at a news conference, citing findings from the county medical examiner’s office.

The storm has drawn widespread comparisons to Buffalo’s famous blizzard of 1977. Pollencarz said at a press conference Monday that the current storm’s “intensity … is worse than the blizzard of ’77.” At a news conference Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the current storm “the most destructive storm in Buffalo’s long storied history.”

Hundreds of National Guard troops are involved in rescue operations in New York. State police had performed more than 500 rescues by Sunday, including delivering a baby and helping a man with 4% left on a mechanical heart, Hochul said.

“We’re still in this very dangerous life-threatening situation,” Hochul said. Residents are urged to stay off the roads. “Our state and county plows are relentless, giving up time and putting themselves at risk, clearing roads through blinding blizzards,” Hochul said.

As blistering blizzard conditions swept the region, Boloncarz described terrifying conditions on the road.

“Imagine looking at a white sheet of paper a few feet in front of you for more than 24 hours straight. It was like that outside in bad conditions,” he said. “It was a continuous blizzard and whiteout and no one could see where they were going. No one knew what was going on.”

Abandoned vehicles line snow-covered roads — hundreds of cars still line Buffalo streets — and conditions inside homes are dire.

Some residents stayed in their homes for more than two days, some without power in the freezing temperatures, Hochul said during his news conference. The reason for this is not lack of resources, but rather a The mobility and accessibility challenge facing utility companies.

As of Sunday evening, 94.5% of Erie County residents and 87% of Buffalo residents had their power restored, Hochul said.

Still, 12,000 homes and businesses were without power in Erie County Sunday evening, and many more won’t have lights and heating until Tuesday, Polancarz said.

According to the National Weather Service, Buffalo will continue to see snow and bitterly cold temperatures Monday, with daytime highs of 23 degrees and nighttime lows of 21 degrees.

Over the past week, a lingering winter storm has blanketed much of the United States with dangerously low temperatures and wind chills, and brought widespread power outages and thousands of canceled flights.

More than 10 million people were under blackout warnings throughout the south Monday, including residents of Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham.

Freezing temperatures are expected in affected areas, where temperatures will be in the twenties and low 20s, killing crops and damaging plumbing. Most of these warnings will expire Monday morning as temperatures finally begin to recover from the polar winds.

Nationwide, about 65,000 customers were without power early Monday morning PowerOutage.US. Since the storm began, the number of outages has exceeded one million at times.

Power wasn’t the only one affected: Jackson, Mississippi, issued a boil water notice Sunday after its water system lost pressure due to “likely weather-related” line breaks. Officials said on Facebook. City – a solo hit two months ago Prolonged water crisis – Water was distributed to residents throughout Christmas Day.

The storm also added to travel in the U.S. during the busy holiday weekend 5,000 flights More than 3,400 flights were canceled on Friday, with more than 3,100 canceled for Christmas Day. More than 1,500 flights According to the tracking site, before 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, flights into, in, or out of the U.S. have already been canceled. FlightAware.

After the arrival of the brutal weather, several states reported several storm-related deaths. In addition to deaths in New York, deaths include:

• Colorado: Police in Colorado Springs, Colorado, have reported two cold-related deaths since Thursday, one possibly seeking warmth near a building’s transformer and another found camping in an alley.

• KansasThree people have died in weather-related traffic accidents, the Kansas Highway Patrol said Friday.

• Kentucky: Three people have died in the state, officials said, including one in a vehicle crash in Montgomery County.

• Missouri: One person died after a caravan plunged off a snowy road into a frozen creek, Kansas City police said.

• Ohio: Nine people died as a result of weather-related auto crashes, including four on Interstate 75 Saturday morning when a semi-tractor-trailer crossed the median and collided with an SUV and a pickup, officials said.

• Tennessee: The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed a storm-related death Friday.

• Wisconsin: The Wisconsin State Patrol reported a fatal crash Thursday due to wintry weather.

The powerful system is moving in from the northeast, and many towns and cities are still covered in thick snow. In a 24-hour period, Baraka, Michigan received 42.8 inches of snow and Watertown, New York received 34.2 inches.

Grand Rapids, Michigan received its snowiest Christmas Eve ever, with a record 10.5 inches. National Weather Service.

Winter storm warnings are in effect for Buffalo, Jamestown and Watertown in New York and will expire over the next two days. Jamestown could see another 8 inches of snow, Buffalo another 14 inches and Watertown another 3 feet, according to forecasts. Wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.

Lake effect snow warnings remain in place until 10 a.m. EST Tuesday, north of Jamestown Up to 18 inches is possible.

Persistent lake-effect snow blowing downwind from the Great Lakes will gradually intensify, but arctic winds enveloping much of the eastern half of the country will slowly moderate. National Weather Service.

Lake-effect snow will create hazardous travel conditions for the next two days and conditions are expected to improve slowly during the week.

A low pressure system is forecast to move farther into Canada, while another system quickly moves across the northern U.S. into Monday, bringing snow from the Northern Plains through the Midwest.

Forecasters said most of the eastern part of the country will remain in deep freeze until Monday before easing on Tuesday.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct where Gov. Kathy Hochul described the storm as “the most destructive storm in Buffalo’s long history.” This was at a press conference on Sunday.

Trace McSorley got a chance to play both hero and spoiler in his first career NFL start, helping the Cardinals take the NFC South-leading Buccaneers to overtime in the final game of the league’s Christmas Day tripleheader. In the end, however, the quarterback’s senior counterpart, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, got the best of the competition. Sunday night’s clash was far from a pretty game from Brady; In fact, for a while, it might have been his most uninspiring of the year. Given a late chance to come back from a 10-point deficit, TB12 delivered in crunch time, setting up Ryan Succop’s walk-off field goal for a 19-16 victory.

Here are some highlights from the Buccaneers’ win Sunday night:

Why did the bookers win?

Not because they have everything figured out, that’s for sure. For much of Sunday night, Tom Brady looked as unfocused as he has been all season, Leonard Fournette struggled to find open lanes on the floor, and Ryan Succop seemed the only one capable of consistent action. But then Arizona had to pull away, and Brady took advantage of the opportunity to dial it back in the waning minutes, leaning on Fournette, Chris Godwin and Russell Cage to score 13. If one thing worked all night, it was Todd Bowles’ defense, which hit Trace McSorley seven times and recorded five tackles for loss, especially if/after the Cardinals moved the ball into the opponent’s territory.

Why the Cardinals lost

With or without Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy, they can’t keep moving the ball. Arizona’s defense played really well, with JJ Watt putting constant pressure on Tom Brady’s face and Marco Wilson picking up not one but two deep-ball picks by TB12. But for all of McSorley’s gunslinging efforts — and the veteran backup had a couple of beautiful downfield shots, including one by Marquese Brown — Arizona never established a rhythm through the air. James Connor and Greg Dortch made the most of every touch, but others like DeAndre Hopkins were basically invisible. The “D,” meanwhile, appeared to be playing catch-up in the final minutes of action, perhaps tired of Tampa Bay eventually winning the possession battle.

turning point

Third-and-9 for the Cardinals on their own 36-yard line on the first possession of OT. McSorley had already connected with Marquis Brown for a precision third-down strike on the drive. Here, however, the left side couldn’t connect with DeAndre Hopkins in a tight window, and the officials didn’t buy Hopkins’ plea for pass interference. At that point, the ball was back to Brady and the next score was sure to win the game, and Tampa Bay was poised for another ugly but successful comeback.

Game of the game

It wasn’t a “good” play, but it was huge for the Bucks: McSorley’s quick pitch to Keonte Ingram gave Tampa Bay the bonus possession and allowed the visiting team to knot it at 16. -16 delay. It highlighted the ugliness of the entire back-and-forth, which included 11 penalties and five turnovers.

What’s next

The Buccaneers (7-8) will return home for a Week 17 New Year’s Day rematch with the rival Panthers (6-9), who upset the Lions on Saturday. The Cardinals (4-11), meanwhile, will take on the Falcons (5-10), who fell to the Ravens this weekend and are now out of playoff contention.

CNN
—

Scores of migrants were dropped off in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington on Christmas Eve in 18-degree weather late Saturday.

According to the administration official, two buses were initially taken to local shelters. More buses arrived outside the Vice President’s residence on Saturday evening. A CNN crew saw migrants being abandoned, with some migrants wearing only T-shirts in the freezing weather. They were given blankets and put on another bus to a local church.

Amy Fischer, a volunteer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, which has been receiving migrants sent to DC since the spring, said the organization was ready for Saturday night’s arrival and had been notified in advance by an NGO working at the border. Texas.

The arrivals included asylum seekers from Ecuador, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru and Colombia, Fischer told CNN, adding that the buses were supposed to go to New York but were diverted to DC because of the weather. Migrant buses They have come to Washington Weekly from April.

SAMU First Response, a nonprofit that has been helping immigrants since the buses began arriving in Washington earlier this year, also assisted the visitors Saturday night.

“The DC community welcomes the buses from Texas anytime since April. Christmas Eve and freezing cold weather are no different,” Fischer said. “We always welcome people here with open arms.”

Although CNN reported earlier this year that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had sent busloads of migrants north, it was unclear who was responsible for sending the migrants to the naval observation center, where the vice president’s home is located. Including the location outside Harris’s home. CNN has reached out to Abbott’s office for comment on the latest visits.

Mikrund tells CNN he promised to get on the plane

The White House, however, placed the blame on the Texas governor, calling it a “cruel, dangerous and shameful stunt.”

“Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in sub-freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any federal or local authorities,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hassan said in a statement.

“As we’ve said time and time again, President Biden sent Congress on his first day on real solutions — Republican or Democratic — on real solutions like comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures, but these political games are getting done. Nothing and only putting lives at risk.” Hasan said.

Abbott is one of at least three Republican governors Bus or fly migrants north This year in protest of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. He had earlier confirmed in September that his government had sent buses to Haris’ residence At the time.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the person who spoke about his group preparing for the arrival of immigrants. That’s Amy Fischer, a volunteer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.

This story has been updated with additional information.

**RELATED VIDEO ABOVE: Know the Symptoms of Frostbite and Protect Yourself.**

Cleveland (WJW) – First energy This holiday weekend calls for help conserving energy as temperatures settle Below freezing across Ohio.

“PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for the region, is asking customers to take proactive measures to conserve electricity until 10am tomorrow, December 25,” FirstEnergy said in a statement, adding that energy usage has increased during this time due to the weather. And people gather together.

FirstEnergy says that if residents don’t work to reduce their energy use, “additional steps may be taken if necessary.”

To prevent outages, FirstEnergy recommends setting home thermostats to low temperatures, closing blinds and curtains, and turning off non-essential electrical items, including holiday lights. People are asked to avoid using appliances such as dishwashers, dryers and ovens.

The AEP made similar recommendations, but did not specifically mention holiday lights in their report, saying only to turn off “non-essential electrical lights.”

As of Sunday morning, AEP’s request had expired A tweet.

“We did it together! PJM’s demand for customers to reduce electricity use is overdue. Our joint efforts made the difference, which keeps electricity flowing for everyone,” the company posted.

Those with questions are asked to call First energy and/or AEP.

CNN
—

A fire on a JetBlue Airways flight forced more than 160 passengers to evacuate using emergency slides in New York. John F. Kennedy International Airport Saturday, fire officials said.

According to JetBlue, the incident – which happened shortly after the flight from Barbados landed at the airport – may have been triggered by an electronic device and is under investigation.

“On Saturday, JetBlue Flight 662 with service from Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI) was grounded shortly after landing at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) due to a customer’s report of an electronic device or battery failure,” company spokesman Derek Dombrowski said. In a statement to CNN.

The New York City Fire Department reported the plane caught fire at the airport’s Terminal 5 around 9 p.m., and the Regional Port Authority said JetBlue had evacuated the plane.

A total of 167 people were evacuated using emergency slides, the FDNY said. Five passengers sustained minor injuries.

JetBlue is coordinating with officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, Dombrowski said.