Putin Expresses Regret to Azerbaijani Leader Over Plane Crash Tragedy

Russian President Vladimir Putin presides over a Security Council meeting via videoconference from the Kremlin in Moscow, on Saturday.

Sergei Ilyin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

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Sergei Ilyin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

MOSCOW — On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed regret to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he termed a “tragic event” following the disaster of an Azerbaijani aircraft in Kazakhstan that resulted in 38 fatalities, while refraining from admitting any Russian accountability.

Putin’s expression of regret emerged amid escalating accusations that the aircraft was downed by Russian air defense systems attempting to thwart a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya.

A statement from the Kremlin released on Saturday indicated that air defense units were firing close to Grozny airport as the airliner made “multiple” attempts to land there on Wednesday, although it did not explicitly state that any of these interceptions struck the aircraft.

The official communication remarked that Putin conveyed his apologies to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “for the occurrence of this tragic event in Russian airspace.”

The report noted that Russia initiated a criminal investigation into the incident, with Azerbaijani state prosecutors dispatched to Grozny to engage in the process. The Kremlin also mentioned that “appropriate services” from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are collaboratively examining the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.

The aircraft was en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny when it veered toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers (miles) across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, ultimately crashing while attempting to land. There were 29 survivors.

In this image captured from a video released by the administration of the Mangystau region, debris from Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 is seen on the ground near Aktau airport, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.

The Administration of Mangystau/AP

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The Administration of Mangystau/AP

According to a summary from the call provided by Aliyev’s press office, the Azerbaijani president informed Putin that the aircraft experienced “external physical and technical interference,” though he too refrained from directly blaming Russian air defenses.

Aliyev remarked that the plane had several holes in its body and that the passengers had suffered injuries “as a result of foreign objects breaching the cabin mid-flight.”

On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister issued separate declarations attributing the crash to an external weapon, supporting claims made by aviation experts who alleged the incident was caused by Russian air defense measures reacting to a Ukrainian assault.

Survivors, both passengers and crew, recounted to Azerbaijani media that they heard loud sounds aboard the plane while it was circling over Grozny.

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, stated on Friday that while the plane was approaching Grozny in heavy fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, which prompted officials to restrict air traffic in the area.

Yadrov noted that after the captain’s two unsuccessful landing attempts, alternate airports were suggested, but he ultimately chose to fly to Aktau.

Earlier in the week, Rosaviatsia had mentioned vague preliminary evidence indicating that a bird strike resulted in an emergency aboard.

In the aftermath of the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines cited “physical and technical interference” as the cause and announced a halt to flights to various Russian airports. They did not specify the source of the interference or provide additional details.