Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people.
The plane was flying on Wednesday (Dec 25, 2024) from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian of Chechnya when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land. There were 29 survivors.
Putin told his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev that Russian air defence was active when the Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before it crashed, the Kremlin said.
Putin called Aliyev as speculation grew that Russian air defence may have accidentally shot down the plane. Putin told Aliyev that the plane had tried to land in Grozny "several times" and that "during this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks."
The Russian leader did not claim responsibility for crash, while apologising to Aliyev that the incident took place in Russian airspace.
"Vladimir Putin had presented his apologies that the tragic incident happened in Russia's air space and again expressed his deep and genuine condolences to the families of the dead, wishing a quick recovery to those affected," the statement said.
The Kremlin said the pair had discussed questions around the crash "in detail." It also said it was "closely" cooperating with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on the crash.
Azeri leader tells Putin plane hit by 'external physical' interference
Azerbaijan's leader Aliyev told Putin that the Azerbaijani Airlines plane was first hit by "external physical and technical interference" over Russia.
"President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control," Baku's presidency said in a statement.
It added Aliyev "highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference."
Statements by Azerbaijani officials suggest Baku believes the plane was hit mid-air, while the US has said it had "early indications" Russian air defence may have been responsible for the crash.
On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon. Friday’s assessments by Rashan Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed those made by outside aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack.
Neither Kirby nor the Azerbaijani minister directly addressed the statements blaming air defenses. Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny. (With AP and AFP inputs)
