Islamabad, Dec 31: Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev over the tragic downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines commercial airliner in Russian airspace, which resulted in 38 deaths. However, Putin refrained from directly acknowledging Russia’s involvement in the incident.
The crash occurred on Christmas Day when the aircraft, Flight J2-8243, was struck by Russian air defence systems while repelling Ukrainian drone attacks. The plane, en route from Baku to Chechnya, was forced to divert across the Caspian Sea, eventually crash-landing in Kazakhstan.
- Crash Incident: The plane, carrying 67 people, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after being hit by air defence systems while attempting to land in Grozny, Chechnya. Most passengers were from Azerbaijan, with others from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
- Putin’s Apology: Putin expressed his condolences to the victims’ families but did not explicitly accept blame, attributing the incident to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. He claimed the crash occurred during efforts to repel Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian cities.
- Ukraine’s Response: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the disinformation surrounding the strike and called for a thorough investigation, noting the damage to the aircraft appeared to be consistent with an air defence missile strike.
- Investigations: Both Russian and Azerbaijani authorities are conducting investigations into the crash, with Russian investigators launching a criminal inquiry. Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to most Russian cities pending the investigation.
Azerbaijan’s transport minister confirmed that the aircraft was affected by “external interference” and damaged during its attempted landing, further fueling speculation about the cause of the crash.