Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an apology to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, following the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan that claimed 38 lives. The Kremlin confirmed the apology was delivered during a phone conversation between the two leaders on Saturday.
The Kremlin stated that Putin expressed his regret over the incident, which occurred within Russian-controlled airspace. This communication followed initial reports suggesting that a missile might have caused the crash.
According to the Kremlin, Putin explained that Russian air defenses were actively engaged in repelling Ukrainian drone attacks at the time of the incident. He conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a swift recovery. However, the Kremlin statement did not explicitly say the air defense system shot down the passenger plane.
The Azerbaijani passenger jet, which had departed from Baku en route to Grozny, Russia, crashed on Wednesday in Kazakhstan. The plane's route passed through an area of heightened military activity at the time.
During their discussion, it was noted that the Azerbaijani aircraft had made multiple attempts to land at Grozny airport. The Kremlin also highlighted that the areas around Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were simultaneously targeted by Ukrainian drones, which Russian air defenses successfully countered. These cities are located within North Ossetia and the Chechnya region of Russia.
Initial investigations into the plane crash raised the possibility that an anti-aircraft missile explosion was the source of damage to the aircraft. This theory remains under investigation.
