Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Russian airspace, which claimed 38 lives. However, Putin refrained from acknowledging Russia’s responsibility for the incident.
In his first comments on the tragedy, Putin referred to it as a “tragic incident” that occurred during Russian air defense operations to repel Ukrainian drone attacks. The plane, originally attempting to land in Grozny, Chechnya, reportedly came under fire from Russian air defense systems before crash-landing in Kazakhstan.
A Kremlin statement released on Saturday detailed Putin’s phone call with Aliyev:
“President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”
Russian aviation authorities have described the airspace over the region as “very complicated” due to ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes. Aviation experts and Azerbaijani officials suspect the plane’s GPS systems were disrupted by electronic jamming and damaged by shrapnel from Russian missile defenses. Survivors reported hearing explosions before the crash, fueling speculation that the aircraft had been hit.
While Azerbaijan has not officially accused Russia, its transport minister described the incident as a result of “external interference.” US defense officials have publicly stated that they believe Russia is responsible for downing the aircraft.
In Saturday’s call, Putin acknowledged the plane’s repeated attempts to land at Grozny airport on 25 December, during heavy Ukrainian drone attacks on Chechnya. Russian investigators have launched a criminal investigation, and Azerbaijan has also announced a separate probe into the crash.
The crash killed 38 of the 67 people aboard, leaving families mourning during the holiday season. International attention is now focused on the results of the investigations and whether Russia will formally accept responsibility.
