Vladimir Putin apologises to Azerbaijan Prez over plane crash that killed 38

Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on Saturday that the Russian air defence was working when an Azerbaijan Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, breaking the Kremlin’s silence as speculation mounted Russia may have accidentally shot the plane.

The Russian leader called his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, and apologised for the incident that took place in Russian airspace, while stopping short of saying Russian air defence shot the plane. Baku, meanwhile, said Aliyev had “emphasised” to Putin that the plane was hit by outside interference over Russia, saying it wanted those responsible “held accountable.”

The phone call between the allies came three days after the Embraer 190 plane flying from Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people of 67 onboard.

On Friday, a US official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon. Friday’s assessments by Rashan Nabiyev and White House national security spokesperson John Kirby echoed those made by outside aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defence systems responding to a Ukrainian attack. Neither Kirby or the Azerbaijani minister directly addressed the statements blaming air defences. Kirby told reporters on Friday that the US “have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defence systems,” but refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.

Putin told Aliyev the plane had tried to land in Grozny “several times.” “During this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

It added that: “Vladimir Putin had presented his apologies that the tragic incident happened in Russia’s air space and again expressed his deep and genuine condolences to the families of the dead, wishing a quick recovery to those affected.”

But Aliyev appeared in no doubt that the plane was shot at over Russia. “President Ilham Aliyev emphasised that the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control,” Baku’s presidency said in a statement.

It added Aliyev “highlighted that the multiple holes in the aircraft’s fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight, and testimonies from surviving flight attendants and passengers confirm evidence of external physical and technical interference.”

Survivors have told the media about hearing an “explosion” as the plane attempted to land. Aliyev’s office said Baku wanted an investigation “ensuring those responsible are held accountable.”

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said on Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic. Yadrov said that after the captain made two unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly to Aktau in Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea.

He did not comment on statements from some aviation experts, who pointed out that holes seen in the plane’s tail section suggested that it could have come under fire from Russian air defence systems.

Earlier this week, Rosaviatsia cited unspecified early evidence as showing that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board. In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed “physical and technical interference” and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports. It did not say where the interference came from or provide any further details.