Russian President Vladimir Putin called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to express his condolences and apologize for the tragic Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that occurred in Russian airspace. The call underscored the deepening cooperation between their countries in the aftermath of the incident.
“President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin stated on Saturday.
The Kremlin added that at the time of the incident, Russian air defense systems were actively repelling attacks from Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz.
According to Azerbaijan’s presidential office, President Aliyev noted that the plane was “subjected to external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control and redirection to the Kazakh city of Aktau.”
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case regarding the incident, with initial investigative actions currently underway. Two employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan are presently in Grozny, collaborating closely with representatives of the Russian authorities.
Specialized services from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are cooperating at the crash site near Aktau to determine the cause of the accident and to support ongoing investigations.
Flight J2-8243, carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, crashed on Wednesday near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The tragedy resulted in at least 38 fatalities.
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Putin speaks with Aliyev over Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
cgtn.com
