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HANDOUT - Rescue workers work on the wreckage. Photo: Uncredited/Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry/AP/dpa - ATTENTION: For editorial use only in connection with current reporting and only with full citation of the above credit
Keystone
Following the crash of the passenger plane in Kazakhstan with 38 fatalities, Kremlin head Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the incident. "Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace," the Kremlin announced in Moscow after a telephone conversation between the two.
According to the statement, Putin also explained that Russian air defenses were deployed against Ukrainian drone attacks at the time. However, Putin did not say with such clarity that the air defense had hit the plane with a missile.
Putin "once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery", the Kremlin added. During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger plane repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny airport. "At the same time, Grozny, Mosdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, with Russian air defenses repelling these attacks," the Kremlin said.
Selensky also speaks with Aliyev
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Platform X that he had also spoken to Aliyev and expressed his condolences. Russia must provide explanations and stop spreading disinformation, he said. Photos and videos clearly showed the damage to the aircraft's fuselage, which strongly indicated that the plane had been hit by an anti-aircraft missile.
The Kremlin statement said that Russian investigators had initiated proceedings for violating air traffic safety rules. "The first investigative measures are underway and civilian and military specialists are being questioned."
Investigators from Azerbaijan in Russia
In addition, two employees of the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office are in Grozny, where they are working together with representatives of the Russian side. Investigators from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are also continuing their work at the crash site near Aktau, according to reports.
The Azerbaijani government had previously spoken publicly for the first time about the use of weapons against the passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan. Damage to the wreckage and witness statements suggested that the aircraft had been damaged from the outside. This had happened over the original destination airport of Grozny in Russia.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board flew over the Caspian Sea despite its damage. It crashed while attempting to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan.
28.12.2024, 14:21
