Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which resulted in the deaths of 38 individuals. This incident occurred on December 25, when Flight J2-8243 was traveling from Baku to Grozny but had to divert due to what is believed to be fire from Russian air defense systems responding to Ukrainian drone activity.
In a phone call with Aliyev, Putin described the event as a "tragic incident" that took place in Russian airspace but did not explicitly accept responsibility for the crash. The Kremlin's statement emphasized that Russian air defense forces were engaged in repelling Ukrainian drone attacks at the time, although it stopped short of confirming that these defenses had struck the commercial aircraft.
The flight, carrying 67 passengers, primarily from Azerbaijan, was forced to divert to Kazakhstan after being targeted while attempting to land in Chechnya. Survivors reported hearing loud noises just before the crash, and preliminary investigations suggest that shrapnel from Russian missiles may have caused damage to the aircraft.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by urging Russia to cease its disinformation regarding the incident, asserting that the damage observed on the aircraft resembled that of a missile strike. He called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Following the incident, both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have initiated investigations, with Azerbaijani officials suggesting that external interference may have played a role in the crash. The situation remains under scrutiny as international calls for an independent inquiry grow louder.