Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday for the “tragic incident” of an Azerbaijani airliner crash in Kazakhstan, which claimed 38 lives. However, he stopped short of admitting Moscow’s responsibility for the incident.
The crash has fueled allegations that Russian air defenses may have mistakenly shot down the plane while targeting a Ukrainian drone near Grozny, Chechnya’s regional capital.
A Kremlin statement acknowledged that air defense systems were active near Grozny airport during the airliner’s repeated landing attempts on Wednesday but did not confirm if one of them struck the aircraft.
The statement added that Russia has initiated a criminal investigation, with Azerbaijani prosecutors joining efforts in Grozny. Investigators from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are working together at the crash site near Aktau, Kazakhstan.