MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev after the tragic crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane.
According to international news agencies, Putin spoke to Aliyev by phone and expressed his condolences and regret over the incident that occurred in Russian airspace.
Putin explained that the Azerbaijani plane was attempting to land near Grozny when Russia’s air defense system was activated in response to a series of Ukrainian drone strikes. He clarified that the defense forces were busy countering the threat posed by these air strikes at the time of the crash.
The horrific crash claimed the lives of 38 passengers and injured 29 others.
Earlier reports had indicated that the Azerbaijani plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Kazakh city of Aktau, where it tragically crashed.
Russian officials have assured full cooperation with Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the incident and prevent similar incidents in the future.
The diplomatic outreach comes as both countries work to address safety and security concerns related to regional disputes and make post-disaster arrangements.
