December 28th 2024.
In a heartfelt message, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his sincere remorse to his Azerbaijani counterpart for the tragic incident that occurred on Wednesday. A plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines had crashed in Kazakhstan, claiming the lives of 38 people. However, Putin stopped short of accepting responsibility for the crash.
The incident has sparked allegations that the plane was shot down by Russian air defenses, who were trying to defend against a supposed Ukrainian drone attack in the area. In response to these claims, the Kremlin issued a statement on Saturday, stating that their air defense systems were indeed active near Grozny airport when the plane was attempting to land. However, they did not explicitly confirm that one of their missiles had hit the plane.
President Putin personally apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the tragic event that took place in Russian airspace. He also mentioned that a criminal investigation has been launched, and Azerbaijani state prosecutors have joined the efforts in Grozny. In addition, a joint investigation by the relevant authorities from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan is currently underway at the crash site near Aktau.
The plane was en route from Baku to Grozny when it suddenly deviated from its course and crashed while attempting to land in Kazakhstan. Out of the 38 passengers, 29 were lucky enough to survive the crash. During a phone call between the two leaders, President Aliyev informed President Putin that the plane had been subjected to external physical and technical interference. He also mentioned that the plane's fuselage had multiple holes, and some passengers had sustained injuries due to foreign objects entering the cabin mid-flight.
In response to the crash, Azerbaijan's government has initiated an international investigation, and their prosecutors are currently in Grozny. This was confirmed by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's office earlier this week. On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister both stated that the crash was caused by an external weapon, which was in line with the findings of aviation experts who believed that Russian air defenses had mistakenly targeted the plane while trying to defend against a perceived Ukrainian attack.
Survivors of the crash also reported hearing loud noises while the plane was circling over Grozny. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's civil aviation authority, explained that the plane's captain was attempting to land in the thick fog when Ukrainian drones began targeting Grozny, forcing the authorities to close the airspace. After two unsuccessful attempts to land, the captain was offered alternative airports but decided to fly to Aktau.
Earlier, the Russian aviation authority had stated that initial evidence suggested a bird strike was the cause of the emergency on board. However, Azerbaijan Airlines had blamed "physical and technical interference" and had suspended flights to several Russian cities following the crash. They did not provide any further details about the nature of the interference.
If it is proven that the plane was indeed shot down by Russian fire, it would be the second aviation accident related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a Russian missile, killing all 298 passengers on board. Despite Russia's denial, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for their involvement in the incident.
In the aftermath of the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to Grozny and Makhachkala, and on Friday, they announced the suspension of service to eight more Russian cities. Other airlines have also followed suit, with Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air halting flights from Astana to Yekaterinburg for a month, and Turkmenistan Airlines suspending service to Moscow for the same period due to safety concerns. Additionally, Israel's El Al carrier has also suspended flights to Moscow, citing developments in Russian airspace.
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