Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev for the “tragic” crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Russian airspace.
Putin told Aliyev after speculation that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot down the plane, which crashed in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 people and leaving 28 alive.
Flight J2-8243 crashed in a fireball near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones are reported to have attacked several cities.
The Russian leader did not accept responsibility for the accident, while apologizing to Aliyev, saying the incident took place in Russian airspace.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery,” the Kremlin said in a statement. of.”
“It was noted in the conversation that Azerbaijani passenger planes, traveling according to their schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Ukrainian drones over Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz Vehicle attacks were being carried out, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin said the call was made at Putin’s request.
According to Azerbaijan’s presidential office, the president of Azerbaijan noted that the plane “became the target of external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control and landing in the Kazakh city of Aktau.” was diverted.”
The Embraer EMBR3.SA passenger plane was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, in Russia’s southern Chechnya region, before flying hundreds of miles into the Caspian Sea.
Statements from Azerbaijani officials suggest Baku believes the plane was hit in mid-air, while the US has said it has received “initial indications” that Russian air defenses may have been responsible for the crash.