Putin Says Russian Air Defenses Responsible for Azerbaijani Jet Crash that Killed 38


Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday Oct. 9 said that Russia’s air defenses were responsible for shooting down an Azerbaijani airliner in December that killed 38 people in his first admission of blame for the crash.


Putin made the statement at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe, where both are attending a summit of the former Soviet nations.


As previously reported, the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed on Dec. 25, 2024, while on a flight from Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya. The Azerbaijani jet that crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, was an Embraer 190 passenger jet operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. The flight, en route from Baku to Grozny, was diverted and crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, following indications of damage from an external source, with experts pointing to potential Russian air defense fire as the cause.


Azerbaijani authorities said the jet was accidentally hit by fire from Russian air defenses, then tried to land in western Kazakhstan when it crashed.


Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident” but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility. Aliyev, meanwhile, criticized Moscow for trying to “hush up” the incident


Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=Azerbaijan+Airlines, https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ap.com, abcnews.go.com