Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the “tragic” Azerbaijani plane crash that killed 38 people on board, but denied responsibility for the incident.
According to a Kremlin reading of the call, President Putin told Aliyev: “I apologize for the fact that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace, express my deep and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and express my deep and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and express my deepest condolences to Aliyev for the early recovery of the injured.'' I hope.'' It was released Saturday.
The Kremlin said military defense systems had been activated in response to a Ukrainian drone attack on the area where the Azerbaijan Airlines flight carrying 67 passengers was attempting to land.
The plane, an Embraer 190, was flying from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny, Russia's Chechen Republic, on Wednesday. The region is an area of the country that has frequently used air defense systems to shoot down Ukrainian drones.
After multiple failed landing attempts, the plane crashed near Aktau, a city in southwestern Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea.
The White House said Friday that “early indications” indicate Russian air defense systems were responsible for the downing of the plane. On the same day, Azerbaijan Airlines announced in a statement that its passenger plane crashed due to “physical and technical external interference.”
Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended some flights to Russia, including those to Grozny.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he also spoke with Aliyev and expressed his condolences to him and his country.
“We recognize the heroic act of the pilot and the entire crew of the aircraft,” President Zelenskiy said in an interview on Saturday. statement X added that Russia needed to provide a “clear” explanation of the incident and “stop the spread of disinformation.”
“Photographs and videos clearly show damage such as holes and dents in the fuselage of the aircraft, strongly suggesting an attack by an air defense missile,'' he said, adding that “the two countries will not have bilateral relations in the near future.'' We agreed to strengthen our contacts.” ”
