Putin
Putin Apologizes to Azerbaijan Over Plane Crash
Days after the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an apology to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for a “tragic incident” in Russian airspace.
“President Vladimir Putin apologised for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” stated the Kremlin, as reported by Reuters.
The Kremlin also noted that the Azerbaijani passenger plane, traveling on schedule, had repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny airport. At the time, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian drones, with Russian air defenses engaged in repelling the strikes.
Moscow has not commented on speculation that the plane may have been accidentally downed by its air defense systems.