ADMISSION? Putin Apologises To Azerbaijan Over Plane Crash As Kremlin Admits Firing Over Grozny Airport

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev over the tragic plane crash that killed nearly 38. In an official statement on Saturday, the Kremlin said its air defense systems were firing near Grozny due to a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these hit the plane. The crash took place on Wednesday when the flight was in Russian airspace. Putin apologized to Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident”.

The plane was flying on Wednesday from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while making an attempt to land. There were 29 survivors.

On Friday, a US official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon.

Kremlin's full report on Azerbaijan plane crash

• Kremlin on Saturday said that President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
• The Russian president apologised for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
• The Presidents discussed in detail the issues related to the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines passenger plane on December 25 near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
• During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft repeatedly tried to land at the airport of the city of Grozny.
• At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled those attacks.
• The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case under Article 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of the rules of traffic safety and operation of air transport). Initial investigative actions are underway; civilian and military specialists are being interrogated.
• Currently, two employees of the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan are in Grozny, where they work together with representatives of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee of Russia.
• The relevant services of Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are closely cooperating at the disaster site in the Aktau city area.

Azerbaijan flight with over 62 onboard crashes in Kazakhstan 

On Wednesday, Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it was diverted for reasons that aren't yet fully clear. It crashed while trying to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east across the Caspian Sea.

The plane went down near the coast about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball.

According to reports, at least 38 people died in the plane crash while over 20 survived the tragic incident. 

With inputs from AP