Putin Acknowledges Russian Missiles Exploded Near Downed Azerbaijani Plane

The December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Aktau was the main topic in talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Orda.kz reports.

According to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, Putin proposed that Aliyev begin the meeting by addressing the Aqtau tragedy and noted that he had already apologized for the incident.

On the day of the AZAL plane tragedy, Russia piloted three Ukrainian drones that crossed the Russian border. Two missiles fired by the Russian air defense system did not directly hit the AZAL plane, but exploded a few meters away. The AZAL plane was most likely hit by debris, not by fragmentation elements, RIA Novosti quoted Putin as saying.

The Russian president added that the causes of the crash “became clear after a thorough analysis” and promised a legal assessment of the actions of all officials involved.

Aliyev said earlier that Baku does not accuse Moscow of intentionally attacking the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190, but expects accountability.

The only thing we demand is that responsibility be acknowledged, that those who committed this crime be punished, even if it was unintentional, and that compensation be paid to the victims and the airline,  the Azerbaijani leader said.

The Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aqtau Airport on December 25, 2024, killing 38 of 67 people on board, including six citizens from Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijani authorities maintain the aircraft was struck by Russian air-defense fire. At the same time, Kazakhstan’s investigation confirmed the presence of external shrapnel and fragments of “objects of unknown origin” in the fuselage.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny