Putin Apologizes for Azerbaijan Plane Crash in Russian Airspace Killing 38

Dec 28, 2024, 03:11 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for a "tragic incident" involving the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, in Kazakhstan on December 25, which killed 38 people. During a telephone conversation on December 28, Putin expressed condolences, acknowledging that the crash occurred in Russian airspace when Russian air defenses were active against Ukrainian drones. The Kremlin did not confirm whether the aircraft was shot down, and Putin stopped short of admitting direct responsibility for the incident.