Topline
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the plane crash in Russian air space on Christmas Day that left 38 people dead in a statement that said Russia was targeting Ukrainian drones over the plane’s planned destination at the time, but stopped short of taking responsibility.
An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 25, 2024, shows the plane crash site near Aktau, Kazakhstan. … [+]
Key Facts
Putin “apologized for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace,” according to a statement released Saturday detailing Putin’s call to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
The Kremlin released the statement after experts, including White House national security spokesman John Kirby, said initial assessments of the crash suggest the plane may have been taken down by military force.
Putin acknowledged in the statement that the Russian military was firing at Ukrainian drones over Grozny, Russia, the plane’s planned destination, at the time of the crash, but did not say the Russian military shot down the plane.
Russia has opened a criminal probe into the crash, Putin said.
Tangent
Passengers who survived the crash told Reuters “it was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way” after hearing multiple loud bangs as the flight was nearing Grozny. “It was as if it was drunk—not the same plane anymore,” passenger Subhonkul Rakhimov told the outlet.
Key Background
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was en route to Grozny, Russia, from Baku, Azerbaijan, when it diverted from its destination and crashed in Kazakhstan near the Akatau airport. Twenty-nine of the 62 passengers and five crew members survived the flight. Russia initially blamed the attack on a bird strike combined with inclement weather conditions, while Azerbaijan Airlines has attributed the incident to “physical and technical interference,” and the country’s transportation minister, Rashad Nabiyev, has suggested there was “external interference” with the flight. Kirby said Friday that the U.S. has “seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” but did not elaborate on details and said the investigation was ongoing. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have all said they are conducting separate probes into the incident.
Chief Critic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said evidence shows Russia is responsible the crash and has called on world leaders to hold the Kremlin accountable. “We can see how the clear visual evidence at the crash site points to Russia’s responsibility for the tragedy,” he tweeted, adding “if Russia decides to spread lies in the same way that it did in the #MH17 case, we will need to consolidate all international pressure on Moscow in order to establish the truth and ensure accountability,” referring to the Malaysian Airlines flight downed a decade ago by a Russian missile as it flew over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Further Reading
Azerbaijan Airlines Crash: What To Know As U.S. Official Suggests Russia Struck Down Flight (Forbes)
