Putin apologises to Azerbaijan president over 'tragic' plane crash in Russian airspace
Putin says Russian air defence was working when the Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny in Russia's southern Chechnya region.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised on Saturday (Dec 28) over the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane, though he stopped short of accepting that it might have been hit by Russian fire.
Putin did admit that Russian air defences were at work when the passenger plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, and the Kremlin said Putin apologised to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev over the "tragic incident" in a phone call, but did not say Russian air defence shot the plane.
Moscow had earlier said that Grozny, where the plane was due to land but instead crashed in western Kazakhstan, was attacked by Ukrainian drones that day.
Baku, meanwhile, said Aliyev had "emphasised" to Putin the plan was hit by outside interference from Russia.
And on the streets of Baku, several residents AFP spoke to said they expected an official apology from their Russian ally.
Moscow said Putin had told Aliyev the plane had tried to land in Grozny "several times".
"During this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
It added that: "Vladimir Putin had presented his apologies that the tragic incident happened in Russia's air space and again expressed his deep and genuine condolences to the families of the dead, wishing a quick recovery to those affected."
A statement from Aliyev's office on the phone call appeared to show no doubt that the plane was hit over Russia.
"President Ilham Aliyev emphasised that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control," Baku's presidency said.
It added Aliyev "highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference."
Survivors have told the media about hearing an "explosion" as the plane attempted to land.
Aliyev's office said Baku wanted an investigation "ensuring those responsible are held accountable."
A statement from Aliyev's office on the phone call appeared to show no doubt that the plane was hit over Russia.
"President Ilham Aliyev emphasised that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control," Baku's presidency said.
It added Aliyev "highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference."
Survivors have told the media about hearing an "explosion" as the plane attempted to land.
Aliyev's office said Baku wanted an investigation "ensuring those responsible are held accountable."
"STARK REMINDER" OF MH17
Speculation has swirled for days, with the US weighing in on Friday.
White House spokesman John Kirby said Washington had "early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defence systems".
Putin's phone call came after the Kremlin had earlier said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the speculations.
Moscow also said it will work with an investigation by Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
While some in Azerbaijan - a Russian ally - have called for an apology from Moscow, Kazakhstan, one of Moscow's main allies, has not pointed the finger at Russia.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to Aliyev on Saturday, saying the footage of the plane makes it look "very much like an air defence missile strike".
"The key priority now is a thorough investigation that will answer all questions about what really happened. Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation," Zelenskyy said on social media.
The EU, meanwhile, urged a "swift, independent international investigation".
Its top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the crash was a "stark reminder" of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which international investigations said was downed by a surface-to-air missile by Russian-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
AIRLINES CANCEL FLIGHTS
A series of airlines have this week begun cancelling flights to Russia after the incident, including national carriers of Moscow's allies.
The vast majority of Western airlines have stopped flights to Russia since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive.
Turkmenistan Airlines - the national carrier of the reclusive Central Asian state - was the latest airline to announce cancellations on Saturday.
It said that "regular flights between Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat were cancelled from 30/12/2024 to 31/01/2025", without giving an explanation.
The decision came after UAE airline flydubai suspended flights between Dubai and the southern Russian cities of Mineralnye Vody and Sochi that were scheduled between Dec 27 and Jan 3.
Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air has suspended its flights to Russia's Urals city of Yekaterinburg until the end of January.
Earlier this week, Israeli airline El Al said it was suspending its flights to Moscow for a week.
"MORNING JUST BEFORE THE NEW YEAR"
On Friday, Azerbaijani lawmaker Rasim Musabekov urged Russia to "accept this, punish those to blame, promise that such a thing will not happen again."
This feeling was reflected on the streets of Baku Saturday, where the mood was sombre.
"Just look at the damage, how many people's homes were filled with mourning just before the New Year," said 64-year-old teacher Rafiga Mammadova.
Others called for a public apology.
"We could have had such an incident as well," 41-year-old Teymur Mammadov said, in a country used to decades of conflict with neighbouring Armenia.
"Such things happen. However, they should apologise."
Officials from Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, visited three survivors of the crash in the city of Aktau where the plane crashed in Kazakhstan, releasing footage of men in hospital beds whom they said will be transported home soon.
Several survivors and several bodies from the crash were brought to Baku late on Friday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app