Weekly Geopolitical Report – Putin and Flight 9268 (November 23, 2015)

by Bill O’Grady

On October 31st, Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 took off from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 5:58 local time en route to St. Petersburg, Russia.  Within 25 minutes, the aircraft, an Airbus A321, disappeared from radar over central Sinai.  By the time radar contact was lost, the aircraft had reached its cruising altitude of 33,000 feet.  Shortly thereafter, airplane debris was reported over the area.  All 224 passengers and crew were lost, making it the worst Russian civilian air disaster in history.

In this report, we will examine the potential causes of this event.  Given that a terrorist group may be the culprit, we will discuss the most likely perpetrator.  Next, we will analyze how Russian President Putin will likely react to this event.  As always, we will close with potential market ramifications.

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