In brief
In a tragic incident earlier this week, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 individuals, with President Vladimir Putin offering an apology to Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev while refraining from accepting any responsibility. The plane, which was flying from Baku to Grozny, veered off course into Russian airspace, where it lost control due to alleged interference from Russian air defenses. Currently, investigations are underway as multiple nation officials gather at the crash site.
The wreckage of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane after a deadly crash on Wednesday in Kazakhstan. Credit...Issa Tazhenbayev/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesBy Anatoly KurmanaevDec. 28, 2024, 8:29 a.m. ETOn Saturday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia broke a three-day silence regarding the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that claimed 38 lives earlier this week. During a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin expressed his regrets about the tragic event, although he stopped short of taking any explicit responsibility for it.The Kremlin disclosed that Putin stated, "the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace," during the call, which he initiated. This correspondence followed the plane's distressing diversion from its intended route to Grozny, following an escalation involving Ukrainian drone attacks in the area which Russian air defenses were actively repelling.While the Kremlin’s statement did not attribute the incident directly to a Russian air-defense missile, Azerbaijan's presidential office took a firmer stance, indicating that the passenger plane experienced "external physical and technical interference" while within Russian airspace, leading to a loss of control.The flight was reportedly en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny when it ultimately crashed in Kazakhstan after crossing the Caspian Sea. Among the deceased, many were Azerbaijani citizens, while others included individuals from Russia and Kazakhstan.In response to the crash, Putin announced that a criminal investigation has been initiated by Russian authorities. He reassured that Azerbaijani investigators were present in Grozny and that representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan were converging at the crash site in Aktau, Kazakhstan to assess the aftermath of this unfortunate incident. Anatoly Kurmanaev covers Russia and its transformation following the invasion of Ukraine. More about Anatoly Kurmanaev See more on: Russia-Ukraine War, Vladimir Putin, Ilham H Aliyev.
