Plane crash in Kazakhstan
Plane crash in Kazakhstan
Plane crash in Kazakhstan
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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.”
By Anatoly Kurmanaev
Reporting from Berlin
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Saturday apologized for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane this past week, breaking the Kremlin’s three-day silence on the accident that killed 38 people. He did not explicitly acknowledge Russia’s responsibility for the crash.
Mr. Putin “offered his apologies” for the crash in a phone call to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin said in a statement. Mr. Putin initiated the phone call, according to the statement, and told Mr. Aliyev “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.”
Putin said that as he approached the intended destination of Grozny in southern Russia, Russian air defenses began to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny airport and others nearby, according to the Kremlin.
Aviation experts and U. S. officials believe a Russian air defense missile may have shot down the plane by mistake. The Kremlin did not attribute the crash to a Russian missile, but in acknowledging the apology, Azerbaijan’s presidential office suggested that was indeed the cause.
“President Ilham Aliyev came under pressure because the Azerbaijan Airlines plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control,” Azerbaijan’s presidential office said in a statement on Saturday. The plane “was able to make an emergency landing only thanks to the bravery and professionalism of the pilots,” he added.
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