Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Saturday, December 28, 2024, according to the Kremlin, that Russian air defenses intervened on Wednesday as an Azerbaijani plane attempted to land, a plane that subsequently crashed in Kazakhstan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Saturday, according to the Kremlin, that Russian air defenses were in action on Wednesday as an Azerbaijani plane attempted to land, a plane that crashed shortly after in Kazakhstan.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Mr. Putin noted, in a telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, that “The Azerbaijani airliner had tried several times to land at Grozny airport. At the same time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defenses repelled these attacks”.
The Russian president did not, however, indicate whether the plane had been hit by these defenses. Since Wednesday's disaster, suspicion has been falling on Russia, which may have accidentally shot down the plane.
Russia's responsibility not acknowledged
While Mr Putin did not acknowledge Russia's responsibility on Saturday, he nevertheless apologized to Mr Aliev.
“Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that this tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace,”, the Kremlin said.
Earlier, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov had refused to comment on the White House's remarks, which had mentioned a defense strike Russian anti-aircraft.
In addition, several Western experts believe that images showing a fuselage riddled with holes suggest such a strike.
On Wednesday, an Embraer 190 plane belonging to Azerbaijani company Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Aktau, western Kazakhstan, on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, while the plane was due to fly from Baku to Grozny, on the opposite shore.
Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board the plane were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames.