Russia’s President Vladimir Putin admitted on October 9 that the detonation of two Russian missiles caused the incident that led to an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft crashing while attempting an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.
Ahead of the heads of state meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Dushanbe, Putin met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and pledged material compensation for the victims.
This marks a development in the tragic incident that led to the plane crash on 25 December 2024, which caused 38 victims among the passengers and members of the crew.
According to Novaya Gazeta, Putin said that Russian air defense was “tracking” three Ukrainian drones when it fired two missiles that “exploded a few meters” from the AZAL aircraft, causing the damage that led to the crash.
The plane, en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny, in the south of Russia, could not attempt a landing in Russia because of ongoing military clashes and its pilot decided to attempt an emergency landing across the Caspian Sea.
Just minutes before reaching the Aktau airport in Kazakhstan’s western region of Mangistau, the plane crashed.
A preliminary speculation around the incident pointed to a flock of birds interfering with the engines. Another account argued it was due to the explosion of an oxygen tank on board. Shrapnel marks on the body of the plane later became clear signs that the plane had been hit by military weapons.
A few days after the clash, Putin had publicly apologized for what he called “a tragic incident.” Today’s admission of responsibility and promise of compensation represent the first straightforward response to the plane crash.
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