Putin apologizes after plane crash in Kazakhstan:

After the passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan with 38 deaths, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the incident. “Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident taking place in Russian airspace,” the Kremlin said in Moscow after a telephone conversation between the two.

According to the Kremlin chief, Russian air defense was active when the passenger plane attempted to land in Grozny, Russia. Grozny was “attacked by Ukrainian combat drones” – “and the Russian air defense repelled these attacks,” Putin said in the phone call, according to the Kremlin. Putin did not comment on whether Russian anti-aircraft missiles hit the plane, which many experts suspect.

Putin “once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery,” the Kremlin said.

During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger plane repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. “At the same time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, with Russian air defense repelling these attacks,” the Kremlin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wrote on Platform X that he had also spoken to Aliyev and expressed his condolences. Russia must give explanations and stop spreading disinformation. Photos and videos clearly showed the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, which strongly suggested that the plane had been hit by an anti-aircraft missile.

The Kremlin’s statement said that Russian investigators had opened a case for violating air traffic safety rules. “The initial investigative measures are underway and civil and military specialists are being interviewed.”

In addition, two employees of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office are in Grozny, where they are working with representatives of the Russian side. Investigators from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are also continuing their work at the crash site near Aktau, it said.

The Azerbaijani government had previously spoken publicly for the first time about using weapons against the passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan. Damage to the wreckage and witness statements suggested that the aircraft had sustained external damage. This happened over the original destination airport of Grozny in Russia.

Several Western countries and experts hypothesized that a Russian anti-aircraft missile could have hit the plane. There are “preliminary indications” that suggest “that this aircraft was shot down by Russian air defense systems,” said White House spokesman John Kirby, without providing further details.

Azerbaijan Airlines, for its part, said that, according to initial investigations, “external physical and technical influences” had caused the crash.

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board flew over the Caspian Sea despite its damage. It crashed while attempting to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Note: This article has been updated to include additional information.