In brief
On Saturday, following a three-day silence regarding the fatal incident, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia conveyed his apologies during a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. According to the Kremlin, Putin stated that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed while traveling through Russian airspace, although he refrained from acknowledging direct responsibility. With the plane en route to Grozny, Russia, it was reportedly diverted and ultimately crashed in Kazakhstan after traversing the Caspian Sea. Most victims were Azerbaijani citizens, alongside Russian and Kazakh nationals.
Putin noted the initiation of a criminal investigation into the crash and confirmed collaborative efforts involving investigators from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan at the crash site in Aktau. In contrast, Azerbaijan's presidential office claimed the incident was due to “external physical and technical interference” linked to Russian air defenses, which were reportedly responding to Ukrainian drone attacks at the time of the flight's descent.
