President Vladimir Putin said the incident took place in Russian airspace, but denied Russian involvement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident” following the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan this week.
The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, on Wednesday when it veered in the direction of Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land. 38 people died.
The Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday that Russian air defense systems fired shells near Grozny due to Ukrainian military drone strikes, but did not say that one of the planes hit the plane.
“President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, reiterated his deep and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian drones, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.”
Authorities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia are investigating the cause of the plane crash.
A statement from Azerbaijani officials suggests Baku believes the planes collided in midair, but the US said it had “early indications” that Russian air defenses may have been the cause of the crash. said.
Experts told Al Jazeera this week that it was very likely that Russian air defense officials panicked and attacked the aircraft during the Ukrainian drone strike.
They pointed to physical damage to the aircraft among a series of factors that raise suspicions about possible Russian government involvement.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Callas, called on Saturday for a “prompt and independent international investigation” into the crash.
Reporting from the Russian capital, Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabari noted that during his phone call with Aliyev, Putin denied any possible role for the Russian military in the crash.
“The Russian president acknowledged for the first time that the incident took place over Russian airspace, but stopped short of admitting that the Russian military may have had some involvement in suppressing the incident,” Jabari said.
He added that the incident came amid an increase in Ukrainian drone attacks and attacks on Russian territory in the past few weeks.
“What we’re seeing now is that after three years of this conflict[between Ukraine and Russia]civilians inside Russia increasingly feel like their country is at war.” said Jabari.
“External interference”
Azerbaijani President Aliyev told Putin during a meeting on Saturday that the plane “encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, as a result of which it completely lost control.” The presidential palace said in a statement.
In addition, Aliyev said, “Multiple holes in the fuselage, injuries sustained by passengers and crew due to foreign objects that entered the cabin during the flight, and testimonies of surviving flight attendants and passengers indicate that physical and technical interference from outside sources could not be avoided.” He emphasized that the evidence had been confirmed.
Rashan Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport, echoed this sentiment, telling Azerbaijani media that the preliminary conclusions from the testimony of experts and witnesses “point to external influence.”
“The type of weapon used in the collision will be determined during the investigation,” Nabiyev said.
White House Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Friday that the U.S. has seen “some early indications that this fighter jet may have been shot down by Russian air defense systems.” .
Kirby declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
In response to Kirby’s claims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: It would be inappropriate for the presidential administration to comment on this.”
The Kremlin said Saturday that Russia was cooperating “closely” with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on the crash.
