By Abidemi Samuel
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered apologies to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev over the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane, which killed numerous people. However, Putin fell short of acknowledging that the plane might have been struck by Russian fire.
According to the Kremlin, Putin expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims and apologized for the “tragic incident” that occurred in Russian airspace. The Russian President also stated that Russian air defenses were active when the passenger plane attempted to land in Grozny, but he did not admit that Russian air defense shot down the plane.
In contrast, Aliyev’s office emphasized that the plane encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control. The Azerbaijani government has called for an investigation to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
The incident has sparked widespread speculation, with many suggesting that Russia accidentally shot down the plane. The United States has stated that it has “early indications” that the plane was shot down, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of lying about the disaster.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has called for a “swift, independent international investigation” into the crash, drawing parallels with the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014.
The crash has also led to a series of flight cancellations to Russia, with airlines such as flydubai and Israel’s El Al suspending flights to the country.
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