Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his apologies to Azerbaijan over the tragic crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane, while avoiding directly admitting responsibility. The incident, which has sparked international speculation, occurred in Russian airspace and claimed the lives of 38 of the 67 passengers onboard.
Putin’s apology was delivered during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, three days after the Embraer 190 aircraft, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed in Kazakhstan. While the Russian leader expressed condolences and regret for the tragedy, he stopped short of acknowledging that Russian air defense systems might have played a role.
The Kremlin’s official statement noted that the aircraft attempted to land in Grozny several times during an active defense operation against Ukrainian drone attacks in the area.
“During this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
It added that: “Vladimir Putin had presented his apologies that the tragic incident happened in Russia’s air space and again expressed his deep and genuine condolences to the families of the dead, wishing a quick recovery to those affected.”
However, Azerbaijan appears convinced that the plane was struck by external forces. Aliyev highlighted evidence such as holes in the fuselage, passenger injuries from foreign debris, and survivor accounts of an explosion mid-flight.
“President Ilham Aliyev emphasised that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control,” Baku’s presidency said in a statement.
It added Aliyev “highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft’s fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference.”
The U.S. and European Union have echoed calls for an independent probe. White House spokesman John Kirby suggested early evidence points to Russian air defense systems as the cause, while EU officials compared the crash to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
