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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, after an Azerbaijan Airlines plane destined for Russia crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day.
In his first comments since the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board, the Putin expressed his condolences but stopped short of saying Moscow was responsible.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and the Azerbaijani foreign ministry for further comment.
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Why It Matters
Azerbaijan is an ally of Russia and it could be diplomatically difficult for Putin if Moscow was confirmed to be behind the crash.
Anton Barbashin, editorial director of Riddle Russia, an online journal of Russian affairs, posted on X on Friday that Azerbaijan is "crucial for Russia's regional infrastructure ambitions" and that he believed Putin would have to apologize.
U.S. officials had said that Moscow was responsible for the plane crash although Baku had not officially blamed Russia. Azerbaijan did say that the plane had been subject to "external interference" as it tried to land.
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What To Know
Flight 8243, which was en route from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, killing at least 38 people.
"Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said that as the plane tried to land in Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ukrainian drones were conducting attacks.
"During this time, Grozny, [and the cities of] Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defense was repelling these attacks," the Kremlin said Putin told Aliyev, without saying that Russian air defenses hit the plane.
Azerbaijan's presidency said in a statement that Aliyev had emphasized the plane encountered "external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control."
Multiple holes in the aircraft's fuselage, injuries suffered by passengers and crew caused by foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from survivors "confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference," the statement said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X that he had also expressed condolences to Aliyev and called for "a thorough investigation." He said that Russia "must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation."
What People Are Saying:
The Kremlin said in its statement: "Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace."
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said on X: "The key priority now is a thorough investigation to provide answers to all questions about what really happened."
Azerbaijan's presidency said: "President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control."
Janis Kluge, deputy head of the Eastern Europe & Eurasia Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs posted on X: "Fascinating: Putin apologizes to Ilham Aliyev...he didn't publicly admit it was a Russian missile, but the apology is as close as Moscow will get to admitting anything."
What Happens Next
Officials from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are at the disaster site in the Aktau region. Moscow has said that Russian investigators have launched a criminal investigation and Baku had already announced it would launch its own probe.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs chief, compared the incident to the 2014 downing by Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine of MH17, a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
In a post on X, she called for "a swift, independent international investigation," amid speculation over whether such a probe can ever take place.
Update 12/28/24, 10.36 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
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