Putin apologises to Azerbaijani chief for lethal aircraft crash amid rising tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin prolonged an apology to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airways aircraft in Kazakhstan, which claimed the lives of 38 folks and left 29 others injured. The Embraer 190 plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, Russia, veered towards Kazakhstan and crashed close to the town of Aktau on Wednesday whereas trying an emergency touchdown.

In an announcement, the Kremlin mentioned Putin expressed his condolences to the victims’ households and wished a speedy restoration for the injured. He defined that the crash occurred amid ongoing Ukrainian drone assaults focusing on Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz, forcing Russian air protection programs to function within the space.

“President Vladimir Putin apologised for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and conveyed his deep condolences to the Azerbaijani folks,” the assertion learn.

Conflicting experiences surrounding crash

Whereas Russia attributed the crash to the difficult circumstances attributable to the Ukrainian drone strikes, worldwide hypothesis hints at a graver chance. On Friday, U.S. officers and an Azerbaijani minister advised that an exterior weapon, probably from Russian air defenses, might have precipitated the crash. Nevertheless, Moscow has kept away from addressing these allegations.

The crash has prompted a number of airways to droop flights to Russian cities. Turkmenistan Airways introduced the suspension of its Ashgabat-Moscow route from December 30, 2024, to January 31, 2025, with out citing a cause. Equally, Flydubai suspended flights to southern Russian cities Mineralnye Vody and Sochi, citing security considerations.

(Inputs from AP)