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Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan for the “tragic incident” that happened to an Azerbaijani plane in Russian airspace on Christmas Day.
Moscow called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Russian president expressed his “deep and sincere condolences” to the families of the victims, the Kremlin press office reported on Saturday.
An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 flight from Baku to Grozny crashed over the Caspian Sea near Aktau, Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.
Senior US and Ukrainian officials blamed Russian anti-aircraft fire for the crash.
Saturday’s Kremlin statement did not explicitly confirm that Russian air defense systems were responsible, but did not deny the allegations.
As Ukrainian fighter drones attacked nearby cities and Russian air defenses “responded to these attacks,” the plane “repeatedly attempted to land at the Grozny airport,” the Kremlin reported.
“Vladimir Putin has apologized for the tragic incident in Russian airspace,” the statement said.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into suspected violations of aviation safety regulations, “Civil and military specialists have been questioned,” the statement added.
Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Russian authorities are conducting an official investigation led by Baku.
Putin’s widely publicized recognition of It contrasts sharply with Putin’s repeated denials of responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, and Putin’s acknowledgment that investigators believe the jets were under Russian control.
Russia’s top aviation authority initially suggested the crash was caused by an attack on the plane’s engine. Azerbaijan’s president said he was told the plane had to be diverted due to bad weather.
On Friday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there were early indications that the plane had been shot down by Russian air defenses. On the same day, Azerbaijan’s Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said the accident was caused by a weapon.
Survivors, including passengers and crew, described the explosion outside the plane as it took off from Grozny.
On Thursday, the head of Russia’s main aviation authority, Dmitry Yadrov, admitted that the weather around Grozny was “very difficult” due to the attacks by Ukrainian fighter jets.
Five airlines have suspended some flights to Russia in response to the incident.
Turkmenistan Airlines suspended flights from Ashgabat to Moscow, while Azerbaijan Airlines, Kazakhstan Airlines and United Arab Emirates’ Flydubai canceled flights to southern Russia. Israel’s El-Al blocked the route from Tel Aviv to Moscow.
Additional report by Robert Wright in London
