Headline:
Putin Offers Condolences After Azerbaijan Airliner Tragedy; Blames Ukraine
Article:
Jakarta, Dec 29 (PTI) – President Vladimir Putin on Sunday extended condolences to his Azerbaijani counterpart over the tragedy involving an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. The Russian leader, in a phone call with Ilham Aliyev, expressed regret over the incident, which occurred while the plane seeking to land in the Russian city of Grozny was under fire from Russian air defenses.
"Vladimir Putin expressed genuine and deep condolences to the families of those who died and wished a speedy recovery to those injured," the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Russian president acknowledged that the plane was attempting to land in Grozny "several times" when it was attacked by Ukrainian warplanes, leading Russian air defenses to intercept the threat. However, the plane instead fell into Kazakhstan’s western region, following an apparent attack by a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft.
Earlier reports suggested that the plane may have been mistakenly shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile. However, Putin’s statement did not mention this possibility.
The tragedy has sparked outrage in Azerbaijan, with streets in Baku – the capital – filled with mourners demanding an official apology from Russia. Some Azerbaijanis have even called for a boycott of Russian goods.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani officials have released details pointing to external interference causing the crash. They cited physical and technical damage to the aircraft while in Russia’s airspace, along with witness accounts from survivors confirming external interference. Survivors have also reportedly mentioned hearing an explosion as the plane tried to land.
Azerbaijan is now seeking an investigation to hold those responsible to account.
Prior reports from US officials had attributed the crash to a Russian missile, a claim swiftly refuted by Moscow. However, sources from Azerbaijan have since revealed that an early investigation pointed to a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system as the probable cause. The system, they claim, hit the plane after its communication systems were disrupted by approaching electronic defense systems near Grozny.
The crashed plane, a Brazilian-made Embraer E190, was flying from Baku to Grozny when it suddenly altered course over the Caspian Sea, eventually crashing in western Kazakhstan.
Initial Russian reports suggested that bird strike might have caused the accident. However, this theory has been widely discounted due to the extent of the damage and the large number of fatalities.
The incident comes amidst heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with Russia using the areas around the Caspian Sea for air defense against Ukrainian drones. Russia has been accused of using such weapons to target civilian aircraft in the past, although these allegations have not been comprehensively proven.
