The Azerbaijani presidential press office announced that Russian President Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Aliyev in a call on Saturday, regarding an incident where an Azerbaijani airline's crashed plane experienced physical and technical interference in Russian airspace.
Aliyev stated that the aircraft experienced physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, as it headed towards the Kazakh city of Aktau. The holes in the aircraft, injuries on board, and testimonies from surviving crew and passengers all confirmed that the aircraft was subject to external physical and technical interference.
The report said that Putin expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. The leaders of the two countries also discussed the necessity of conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the air disaster and holding those responsible accountable.
On the other hand, the Kremlin noted that Putin apologized to Aliyev "because the tragic occurrence of the crashed plane happened in Russian airspace."
The Kremlin stated that during the phone call, Putin told Aliyev that the crashed plane was flying according to its planned route and made several attempts to land at Grozny Airport. At the time, Ukrainian drones were attacking Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz, and the Russian air defense system repelled these attacks.
In any case, Putin did not claim Russian responsibility for the crash.
An Azerbaijani Airlines plane from Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, to Grozny, Russia, crashed on the outskirts of the western Kazakh city of Aktau on the 25th. The crashed plane made several attempts to land at Grozny Airport but failed and subsequently decided to head to Aktau Airport. At the time, there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, with 38 fatalities.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a case suspecting violations of aviation traffic operations and operational safety regulations. Relevant personnel are being interrogated.
Currently, two staff members from the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office are cooperating in Grozny with personnel from the Russian General Prosecutor's Office and the Russian Investigative Committee. Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh relevant departments are cooperating at the crash site to investigate the aircraft accident.