Putin Apologizes For 'Tragic' Plane Crash But Doesn't Say Russia Shot It Down | rssama.com

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” pursuing the clang of an Azerbaijani airliner successful Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible.

Putin’s apology came arsenic allegations mounted that nan level had been changeable down by Russian aerial defenses attempting to deflect a Ukrainian drone onslaught adjacent Grozny, nan location superior of nan Russian republic of Chechnya.

An charismatic Kremlin connection issued Saturday said that aerial defense systems were firing adjacent Grozny airdrome as nan airliner “repeatedly” attempted to onshore there connected Wednesday. It did not explicitly opportunity 1 of these deed nan plane.

In this photograph taken from a video released by nan management of Mangystau region, a portion of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies connected nan crushed adjacent nan airdrome of Aktau, Kazakhstan, connected Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.

The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP

The connection said Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “for nan truth that nan tragic incident occurred successful Russian airspace.”

The readout said Russia has launched a criminal probe into nan incident, and Azerbaijani authorities prosecutors person arrived successful Grozny to participate. The Kremlin besides said that “relevant services” from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating nan clang tract adjacent nan metropolis of Aktau successful Kazakhstan.

The level was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny erstwhile it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers (miles) crossed nan Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and collapsed while making an effort to land. There were 29 survivors.

According to a readout of nan telephone provided by Aliyev’s property office, nan Azerbaijani president told Putin that nan level was taxable to “external beingness and method interference,” though he besides stopped short of blaming Russian aerial defenses.

Aliyev noted that nan level had aggregate holes successful its fuselage and that nan occupants had sustained injuries “due to overseas particles penetrating nan compartment mid-flight.”

He said that a squad of world experts had begun probing nan incident astatine Azerbaijan’s initiative, but provided nary details. Earlier this week, nan Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s agency confirmed that investigators from Azerbaijan are moving successful Grozny.

On Friday, a U.S. charismatic and an Azerbaijani curate made abstracted statements blaming nan clang connected an outer weapon, echoing those made by aviation experts who blamed nan clang connected Russian aerial defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack.

Passengers and unit who survived nan clang told Azerbaijani media that they heard large noises connected nan craft arsenic it was circling complete Grozny.

Dmitry Yadrov, caput of Russia’s civilian aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that arsenic nan level was preparing to onshore successful Grozny successful heavy fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting nan city, prompting authorities to adjacent nan area to aerial traffic.

Yadrov said that aft nan skipper made 2 unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered different airports but decided to alert to Aktau.

Earlier successful nan week, Rosaviatsia had cited unspecified early grounds arsenic showing that a vertebrate onslaught led to an emergency connected board.

In nan days pursuing nan crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed “physical and method interference” and announced nan suspension of flights to respective Russian airports. It didn’t opportunity wherever nan interference came from aliases supply immoderate further details.

If proven that nan level collapsed aft being deed by Russian fire, it would beryllium nan second deadly civilian aviation accident linked to fighting successful Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed pinch a Russian surface-to-air missile, sidesplitting each 298 group aboard, arsenic it flew complete nan area successful eastbound Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists successful 2014.

Russia has denied responsibility, but a Dutch tribunal successful 2022 convicted 2 Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for their domiciled successful downing nan level pinch an aerial defense strategy brought into Ukraine from a Russian subject base.

Following Wednesday’s suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and adjacent Makhachkala, Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it would besides halt work to 8 much Russian cities.

Several different airlines person made akin announcements since nan crash. Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air connected Friday said it would extremity flying from Astana to nan Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg successful nan Ural Mountains for a month.

Turkmenistan Airlines, nan Central Asian country’s flagship carrier, connected Saturday halted flights to Moscow for astatine slightest a month, citing information concerns. Earlier this week, Israel’s El Al bearer suspended work from Tel Aviv to nan Russian capital, citing “developments successful Russia’s airspace.”