Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for a tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan that claimed the lives of 38 people.
However, Putin stopped short of accepting responsibility for the incident, which has sparked mounting allegations that the crash was caused by Russian air defenses.
The crash occurred on December 27, when an Azerbaijani airliner flying from Baku to Grozny, Russia, was diverted hundreds of kilometers off course toward Kazakhstan, ultimately crashing near the city of Aktau.
The flight was attempting to land at Grozny airport when the disaster unfolded. While 29 people survived, the tragic loss of life has deeply affected both countries.
In his statement, Putin expressed condolences, calling the event a “tragic incident” and apologizing to President Aliyev for the crash happening in Russian airspace.
The Kremlin confirmed that Russia has launched a criminal investigation into the crash, with Azerbaijani prosecutors joining the inquiry.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by officials from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
The controversy surrounding the incident centers on allegations that Russian air defense systems shot down the plane while responding to a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya.
According to the Kremlin, air defense systems had been deployed near Grozny airport as the plane attempted to land, though they did not explicitly confirm that one of these systems hit the aircraft.
Azerbaijani officials have noted that the plane showed signs of “external physical and technical interference,” with reports of multiple holes in its fuselage and foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight.
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While the Azerbaijani president refrained from blaming Russia directly, these signs have led to suspicions of Russian involvement in the crash.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for transparency from Russia, accusing the country of spreading disinformation.
Ukrainian officials have also joined experts in pointing to Russian air defense systems as the likely cause of the disaster.
Azerbaijan Airlines, meanwhile, has suspended flights to several Russian airports in response to the crash, citing “physical and technical interference” but providing few specifics on the matter.
As investigations continue, both Russia and Azerbaijan work to uncover the full details of the crash.
However, the incident has highlighted the tensions and uncertainties surrounding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with significant implications for international aviation safety and relations between the two countries.