Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed deep regret to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that occurred in Russian airspace on Wednesday.
Putin extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. The crash, which took place near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, resulted in 38 fatalities, with 28 survivors.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, which had been en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed in a ball of flames after diverting from its original route in southern Russia, where Ukrainian drone attacks were reported. Speculation has been growing that Russian air defense systems may have accidentally shot down the plane.
While Putin did not take responsibility for the incident, he apologized to President Aliyev for it taking place in Russian airspace. The Kremlin released a statement saying, “President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, offering his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.”
The statement also outlined that the Azerbaijani passenger plane, traveling on its scheduled route, had attempted to land at Grozny airport multiple times. During this time, Ukrainian drones were attacking several cities, including Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz, and Russian air defense systems had intercepted the attacks.
The conversation between Putin and Aliyev occurred at the Russian president’s request.
Azerbaijan’s presidential office indicated that the plane had been subjected to external interference in Russian airspace, which led to a loss of control and a redirection to Aktau in Kazakhstan.
The Embraer EMBR3.SA aircraft had initially been traveling from Baku to Grozny before diverting hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijani officials and the U.S. government have suggested that the plane may have been struck mid-air, with early indications pointing to Russian air defense as the possible cause of the crash.
