Plane Crash: Putin expresses regret to Azerbaijan while not taking responsibility

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that his country’s air defense system was operational when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane attempted to land in Grozny before it crashed. This statement broke the Kremlin’s silence amid growing speculation that Russia might have mistakenly shot down the aircraft. Putin reached out to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to express apologies for the incident occurring in Russian airspace, but he did not explicitly state that Russian air defense was responsible for downing the plane. Aliyev informed Putin that external interference from Russia had struck the plane and insisted that those accountable should be held responsible. The two leaders spoke three days after the Embraer 190 aircraft, which was traveling from Baku to Grozny, crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 out of the 67 people on board. At the same time, Western experts have blamed Russia, while the US reported early signs that the plane was shot down. Putin informed Aliyev that the aircraft attempted to land in Grozny several times. “During this period, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack from Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defense was countering these assaults,” Putin stated. However, Aliyev seemed certain that the plane was fired upon while in Russian airspace. In a statement, Azerbaijan’s presidency noted that President Ilham Aliyev stressed that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane experienced external physical and technical interference while over Russian territory, leading to a complete loss of control. The statement added that Aliyev pointed out the numerous holes in the aircraft’s fuselage, injuries to passengers and crew from foreign objects entering the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers as evidence of external interference. Meanwhile, Russian officials had previously claimed that Ukrainian drones were attacking Grozny that same day. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that he also spoke with Aliyev on Saturday, emphasizing that the footage of the plane strongly resembles a missile strike from air defense. “The main priority now is to conduct a thorough investigation that will clarify what truly happened.” “Zelensky stated that Russia needs to offer clear explanations and cease disseminating disinformation.”