President Putin Apologizes to Azerbaijan for Plane Crash
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev following the tragic plane crash in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. In a phone call Saturday, Putin described the incident as a "tragic event" that occurred in Russian airspace.
The aircraft, which was intended to fly from Aktau in Kazakhstan to Grozny in Russia, crashed, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 people. Sixty-seven individuals managed to survive the crash.
During their conversation, Putin discussed the possibility of Ukrainian drone attacks on Grozny, which he claimed were intercepted by Russian air defense systems at the time of the crash. However, he did not confirm that a Russian missile had struck the plane.
Azerbaijani President Aliyev told Putin that the plane had suffered external physical and technical interference, causing it to lose control and be redirected to Aktau.
Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy contacted Aliyev to discuss the crash. Zelenskyy stressed that Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading misinformation.
Grozny is the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, which fought two wars for independence in the 1990s and early 2000s.
