Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an apology to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding a tragic incident involving the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan, which resulted in 38 fatalities. The aircraft, en route from Baku to Grozny, turned towards Kazakhstan and crashed during its landing attempt. There were 29 survivors.
The Kremlin stated that air defense systems in the Grozny region were operational due to a Ukrainian drone strike at the time of the crash, though they did not confirm a direct connection to the crash.
In recent statements, both a U.S. official and Azerbaijani Minister Rashan Nabiyev indicated that an external projectile was responsible for the crash, aligning with aviation experts’ assessments. However, neither directly addressed the claims related to the air defense response.
Survivors of the crash reported loud sounds as the plane circled above Grozny, raising concerns over the circumstances surrounding the crash.
