Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an apology to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday regarding a tragic incident involving an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Russian airspace. The plane, Flight J2-8243, went down after air defences were activated to counter Ukrainian drone attacks. The crash occurred near Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 people.
Preliminary findings from Azerbaijan’s investigation, according to four sources, suggested that the plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defences while responding to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian cities. Putin expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to the injured in a statement issued by the Kremlin.
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Putin explained that at the time of the crash, cities like Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian drones, and Russian air defences were actively engaged in repelling these assaults. The Kremlin emphasized that the phone call between the two leaders was initiated by Putin as part of his diplomatic response to the incident.
Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev responded by stressing that the plane had been subjected to external interference in Russian airspace, which led to a complete loss of control and forced the plane to divert to Aktau. This statement was made through Azerbaijan’s presidential office, which also highlighted the severity of the incident.
The crash has raised significant concerns over air safety and the unintended consequences of military responses in civilian airspace, with investigations ongoing to determine the full extent of the incident.
