Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has issued an apology following a tragic plane crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Russian airspace, but stopped short of acknowledging any Russian responsibility for the incident.
The plane, which was attempting to land in Grozny, Chechnya, on Wednesday, faced difficulties in reaching its destination and was forced to divert eastward before crashing near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The crash resulted in the deaths of 38 people, including passengers from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Among the survivors were two children.
While the exact cause of the crash remains unclear, early indications, according to a U.S. official, suggest that the aircraft may have been downed by a Russian anti-aircraft system.
Putin’s comments on Saturday focused on expressing condolences for the incident and offering an apology for the tragedy that occurred within Russian airspace. However, Putin did not directly state that Russian air defenses were responsible for the crash.
According to the Kremlin, the aircraft repeatedly attempted to land at the Grozny airport but was unsuccessful.
During this time, areas near Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were reportedly attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, which triggered Russian air defense systems to repel the attacks. The Kremlin also confirmed that a criminal investigation into the disaster had been launched.
Photos and videos of the wreckage showed perforations on the plane’s fuselage, which some analysts believe could be indicative of shrapnel or debris damage, possibly from an explosion.
CNN aviation expert Miles O’Brien noted that the inward bending of the metal around the holes suggested a blast near the aircraft’s tail. The U.S. official who spoke to CNN also pointed out that the damage seemed consistent with shrapnel from a missile strike.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, in his call with Putin, mentioned that the plane encountered “external physical and technical interference” while in Russian airspace, resulting in a loss of control.
Aliyev’s statement highlighted that Azerbaijani authorities had examined the holes in the fuselage, reviewed the injuries of passengers and crew members caused by “foreign particles” penetrating the cabin, and gathered testimony from survivors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed condolences to Aliyev and demanded a clear explanation from Russia regarding the crash.
Zelensky accused Russia of spreading disinformation and emphasized that the damage to the aircraft strongly suggested it had been struck by an air defense missile.
In the wake of the crash, at least five airlines, including Azerbaijan Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines, El Al Israel, Flydubai, and Qazaq Air, temporarily suspended flights to certain regions of Russia.
The suspensions were made for safety reasons, with the airlines citing concerns about flying in the region affected by the recent tragedy.
