Putin apologises to Azerbaijan’s Aliyev for ‘tragic’ plane crash amid buzz of Russian Air Defence involvement

Azerbaijan Plane Crash: Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his apologies to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for what he described as a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan that resulted in the deaths of 38 people. Flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny, crash-landed on Wednesday near Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones were attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed.

Reuters report citing Azerbaijan's investigations stated preliminary investigations pointed at Russian air defences mistakenly shooting the airliner down. Passengers said they heard a loud bang outside the plane.

Putin called President Ilham Aliyev and "apologised for the tragic incident that 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," the Kremlin said.

"At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defence systems repelled these attacks."

The Kremlin said "civilian and military specialists" were being questioned.

The extremely rare publicised apology from Putin was the closest Moscow had come to accepting some blame for Wednesday's disaster, although the Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting that a criminal case had been opened.

Azerbaijan Plane Crash

The crash occurred on December 25, when the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 aircraft was reportedly facing difficulties as it approached Grozny. According to initial reports, the plane attempted to land in Kazakhstan after being diverted due to adverse weather conditions.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that passengers heard loud noises on board as the aircraft circled over Grozny before it went down near Aktau, bursting into flames just three kilometres from the runway.

Speculation About Russia's Involvement

In an official statement, the Kremlin noted that Russian air defense systems were firing near Grozny due to a Ukrainian drone strike at the time of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, although it stopped short of confirming that these systems were responsible for downing the aircraft.

A US official and an Azerbaijani minister have suggested that external weaponry was involved, with assessments indicating that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane during its flight.

Azerbaijan Airlines has reported that initial investigations point to “physical and technical external interference” as a potential cause of the crash. Survivors have recounted hearing explosions and feeling impacts during the flight, raising further questions about the circumstances leading up to the tragedy.

Russia Warns Against Hypotheses

In light of the ongoing investigations, Russian officials have urged caution against jumping to conclusions regarding the cause of the crash. The Kremlin has stated that definitive answers will only emerge once a thorough investigation is completed. President Aliyev echoed this sentiment, stating it is too soon to speculate on the incident's causes.

As investigations continue, both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have opened inquiries into the crash, while Russia faces increasing scrutiny over its military operations in the region.