Days After Deadly Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash, Vladimir Putin Apologises To Azeri President

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart after an incident in Russian airspace that led to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger aircraft on Dec. 25, killing dozens. 

Putin and Ilham Aliyev discussed details of the doomed flight from Baku to Grozny in a phone call on Saturday, the Kremlin said in a statement. 

The Embraer SA 190 crashed on Wednesday near Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying over the Caspian Sea. 

Putin “apologized for the fact that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace,” without saying Russia had been responsible, according to the Kremlin readout. 

In the Azeri readout, though, Putin was said to have apologized for “physical and technical interference” into the plane. 

Neither party clarified what exactly caused the crash as the investigation is ongoing. 

The Russian leader also told Aliyev that as the plane was trying to land, the cities of Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under fire from Ukrainian combat drones and that Russian air defenses were repelling these attacks. 

Azerbaijan Airlines said on Thursday that the crash of its plane was caused by “external interference.” Some 38 people were killed while 29 survived, some with serious injuries. 

In its statement, the Azeri president’s office said that Aliyev emphasized the presence of numerous holes in the plane’s hull and the fact that passengers and crew were injured by foreign particles that penetrated the plane’s cabin while still in the air. 

He also referenced statements from survivors recounting the flight’s final moments. 

Russia has launched a criminal probe into the incident along with the Azerbaijani prosecutor general’s office. A team of international experts have been assembled at the suggestion of Azerbaijan, to investigate the causes of the accident, Aliyev said.