Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during which he apologised for the ‘tragic incident’ that occurred with an AZAL airline plane in Russian airspace. Putin expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims.
According to the Russian president, the crashed Azerbaijani plane was following the established schedule and made several attempts to land at Grozny airport. At the time of the crash, the cities of Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian drones, which led to active actions of the Russian air defence system, the Kremlin specified.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over violation of the rules of safety of air transport movement and operation. Investigative actions are underway, civilian and military specialists are being questioned.
Representatives of the specialised services of Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have arrived at the crash site, near the Kazakh city of Aktau. Also, two employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan are working in Grozny together with their Russian colleagues to establish the causes of the incident.
Earlier, the media reported that the plane was mistakenly shot down over Grozny by the Russian air defence system, which was repelling an attack by Ukrainian drones.
The Kremlin statement actually confirms this version, although it does not say so directly. But it appears that the Russian authorities are preparing the ground for an acknowledgement of the downing of the plane, which, in addition to apologies, will be followed by compensation payments to the airline and the families of the victims.