28th December 2024 – (Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an apology to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday regarding a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that claimed the lives of 38 individuals.
The aircraft, which was en route from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, deviated towards Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land on Wednesday. Among the passengers, there were 29 survivors.
In an official statement, the Kremlin noted that air defence systems were engaged near Grozny in response to a Ukrainian drone strike at the time the plane was preparing to land but refrained from explicitly stating that these systems were responsible for hitting the aircraft.
During the call with Aliyev, Putin expressed regret that the incident occurred within Russian airspace. Additionally, on Friday, both a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister attributed the crash to an external weapon. Their assessments aligned with those of independent aviation experts, who suggested that the crash was a consequence of Russian air defence systems reacting to a Ukrainian attack.
Survivors of the crash reported to Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises while the plane circled over Grozny, adding to the ongoing investigation into the incident.
