Putin apologizes for Azerbaijan Airways crash however doesn’t settle for duty

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the president of neighboring Azerbaijan for the downing of a business airliner in Russian airspace, wherein 38 individuals had been killed – however stopped in need of saying that Russia was accountable.

In his first feedback on the Christmas Day crash, Putin mentioned the “tragic incident” occurred when Russian air protection programs had been repelling Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky mentioned Russia should “cease spreading disinformation” in regards to the strike.

The airplane reportedly got here beneath fireplace from Russian air defenses because it tried to land in Russia’s Chechnya area, forcing it to divert throughout the Caspian Sea.

The Azerbaijan Airways airplane then crashed close to Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 on board.

A lot of the passengers on the flight had been from Azerbaijan, whereas others had been from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

It’s believed that almost all of them who survived had been seated in the back of the airplane.

On December 25, flight J2-8243 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny when it got here beneath fireplace and was pressured to divert.

The Kremlin issued an announcement on Saturday saying Putin spoke by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident in Russian airspace and as soon as once more expressed his deep and honest condolences to the households of the victims and wished a speedy restoration to the injured,” it mentioned. the press launch.

In his uncommon public apology, Putin additionally acknowledged that the airplane had repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport in Chechnya.

On the time, the cities of Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz had been “beneath assault by Ukrainian unmanned aerial autos, and Russian air protection programs repelled these assaults”, he defined.

The Kremlin assertion didn’t immediately admit that the airplane was hit by Russian missiles.

In an announcement launched shortly after the Kremlin’s, Ukrainian President Zelensky mentioned the harm to the airplane’s fuselage “could be very paying homage to an air protection missile strike,” including that Russia “should present clear explanations.”

“The highest precedence now’s a radical investigation that may reply all questions on what actually occurred.”

Earlier than Saturday, the Kremlin had refused to say whether or not she was concerned within the crash, with authorities saying they had been awaiting the outcomes of the investigation.

However Russian air authorities mentioned earlier within the week that the scenario within the area was “very sophisticated” because of Ukrainian drone strikes.

Aviation consultants and others in Azerbaijan imagine the airplane’s GPS programs had been affected by digital jamming and that it was later broken by shrapnel from missile protection explosions Russian air drive.

Survivors had beforehand reported listening to a loud bang earlier than the airplane crashed, suggesting it had been focused.

Azerbaijan didn’t formally blame Russia this week, however the nation’s transport minister mentioned the airplane was topic to “exterior interference” and was broken internally and externally whereas he was making an attempt to land.

U.S. protection officers additionally mentioned Friday that they imagine Russia was responsible for the autumn.

Moscow mentioned Russian investigators had opened a legal investigation. Azerbaijan had already introduced that it could open an investigation.

The Kremlin mentioned Azeri, Kazakh and Russian companies had been “working intently on the catastrophe web site within the Aktau area.”

Even earlier than Putin’s message was printed on Saturday, a number of Azerbaijani airways had already began suspending flights to most Russian cities.

The suspension will stay in impact till the investigation into the accident is accomplished, an airline mentioned.