Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an apology to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev following the downing of an Azerbaijani commercial airliner in Russian airspace, which resulted in 38 fatalities.
However, Putin stopped short of accepting direct Russian responsibility for the incident.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in his first remarks on the 25 December crash, Putin referred to the event as a “tragic incident” that occurred while Russian air defence systems were countering Ukrainian drone attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia’s response, urging Moscow to “stop spreading disinformation” about the strike.
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The Azerbaijan Airlines jet reportedly came under fire from Russian air defences while attempting to land in Chechnya, forcing it to divert across the Caspian Sea. It ultimately crash-landed near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 passengers onboard.
The majority of passengers were Azerbaijani nationals, with others hailing from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Survivors are believed to have been seated in the rear of the aircraft.
Flight J2-8243 had been traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Chechnya, when it was targeted. The Kremlin stated on Saturday that Putin had communicated with Aliyev via phone to discuss the incident.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologised that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” it said.
In the rare publicised apology, Putin also acknowledged the plane had repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport in Chechnya.
At the time, the cities of Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were “being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defence systems repelled these attacks”, he said.
The Kremlin’s statement made no explicit admission that the Azerbaijani plane had been struck by Russian missiles.
Shortly after the Kremlin’s announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented, stating that the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage “strongly resembles an air defence missile strike.” He urged Russia to provide “clear explanations” and emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation to uncover the truth.
Before Saturday, Russian officials refrained from acknowledging any involvement in the crash, citing the need to await investigation results. However, earlier statements from Russian aviation authorities described the region’s airspace as “very complicated” due to ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes.
Aviation experts and Azerbaijani officials have suggested that the plane’s GPS systems may have been disrupted by electronic jamming, leaving it vulnerable to shrapnel from Russian air defence missile explosions. Survivors reported hearing loud bangs before the crash, indicating the aircraft may have been targeted.
While Azerbaijan refrained from directly accusing Russia earlier this week, its transport minister noted the plane experienced “external interference” and sustained damage both internally and externally during its attempted landing.
US defence officials on Friday stated they believed Russia was responsible for the incident. Meanwhile, Moscow confirmed its investigators had launched a criminal inquiry, with Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities also conducting independent investigations.
The Kremlin said that Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Russian agencies are “collaborating closely at the disaster site in the Aktau region.”
In response to the incident, several Azerbaijani airlines have suspended flights to most Russian cities. The suspension will remain in effect until the investigation is concluded, one airline confirmed.
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