Putin apologizes to Azerbaijani president over plane crash, yet doesn't acknowledge Russia's responsibility

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to discuss the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people, the Kremlin reported on Dec. 28.

The Kremlin press service released a briefing detailing a call between Putin and Aliyev, during which the Russian president addressed some aspects of what he called a "tragic accident."

The briefing stated that the plane made multiple attempts to land at Grozny airport during a Ukrainian drone attack, which was reportedly repelled by Russian air defenses.

The press statement did not address the claims that a Russian surface-to-air missile may have downed the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.

Putin apologized for the fact that the "tragic accident" occurred in Russian airspace and "expressed deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims." He didn't acknowledge that it was Russia's fault.

He also said that "initial investigative actions" were underway, and that two representatives of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office were in Grozny working with Russian authorities.

Officials from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were also working together at the disaster site in the Aktau region, the briefing concluded.

Shortly after this briefing was published, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel that he also spoke to Aliyev over the phone about the crash, and said the key priority was "to conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the truth about what happened."

He also called on Russia to provide clear explanations, pointing to evidence from photos and videos showing "damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including holes and dents," similar to those "caused by an air defense missile strike."

The aircraft, carrying passengers from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic, crashed near the coastal city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25.

There were 67 people on board the aircraft, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz citizens. Thirty-eight people died in the crash.

Russian air defense missile may have downed Azerbaijani plane, media say

Footage of the plane shows traces of a large surface-to-air missile impact on the tail section of the plane, according to Russian independent media outlet Meduza.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk