President of Russia said shooting down of aircraft in reaction to Ukrainian drones was a “tragic incident”; 38 died
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in a call this Saturday (Dec 28, 2024) via operated by Azerbaijan Airlines in Russian airspace. Putin said the event that led to the deaths of 38 people was a “tragic incident”.
“President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as wishing the injured a speedy recovery.”said the Kremlin . Read the full text at the end of this post.
He stated that the Russian Investigative Committee had initiated criminal proceedings to investigate the case and that civilian and military experts were being interrogated. He also reiterated the version that Ukrainian attacks interfered with the landing attempt in Grozny.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called Aliyev to offer condolences. On the social network X (formerly Twitter), it demanded that Russia provide “clear explanations of what really happened” and stop “spreading misinformation”.
According to Zelensky, photos and videos of the damage prove that the aircraft was hit by Russian defense missiles. Provided all necessary support to the Azerbaijan.
The incident occurred on Wednesday (Dec 25) when the plane manufactured by (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica) was shot down after the activation of Russian air defenses against Ukrainian drones. Flight J2-8243, from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, while diverting from southern Russia, where the drone attacks were coming from. On board were 67 people.
The Kremlin’s statement, however, does not say that Russia shot down the plane. On Thursday (Dec 26), 4 sources – Azerbaijani investigators and a US official – reportedly told the news agency that Russian air defenses mistakenly shot down the plane after mistaking it for a drone.
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announced on Wednesday (Dec 25, 2024) the initiation of criminal proceedings to investigate “minutely” the causes of the accident.
Watch the moment of the fall (3min22s):
Russian government note
“Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, at the initiative of the Russian side.
“The presidents had a detailed discussion on issues related to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane on December 25 near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
“Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that the incident took place in Russian airspace, once again offered deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. It was noted during the conversation that the Azerbaijani passenger plane was flying according to schedule and repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny Airport. At that time, Ukrainian unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) attacked Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz, and Russian air defense systems were repelling these attacks.
“The Russian Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case under Article 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport systems). The initial investigation is ongoing, with authorities questioning civilian and military experts.
“Two officers from the General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan are currently in Grozny, working together with representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Relevant services from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are working together at the crash site near the city of Aktau.”
