Putin Admits to Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, a Russian Air Defense was "Repelling Drone Attacks" in the "Tragic Incident" that Crashed a Commercial Airplane over Kazakhstan

There was no formal apology for the Christmas Day incident, which appears to be an accidental downing

We previously discussed the plane crash in which now it has been confirmed that 38 died, including both pilots, and 29 survived.

Putin has now issued a statement to his counterpart in the leader of Azerbaijan,

“During this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defense was repelling these attacks”.

Putin’s statement also stated that in response to the disaster, Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a formal criminal case.

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From CNN:

CNN states that Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha responded yesterday, saying Russian media

has “lied about the cause of the crash,”and added that Moscow “forced the damaged jet to cross the sea, most likely in an attempt to conceal evidence of their crime.”

Source : https://abc17news.com/news/national-world/cnn-world/2024/12/28/russian-air-defenses-were-active-when-azerbaijan-airlines-plane-attempted-landing-putin-says/

The Crash

For reasons that are still unclear, an Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, was diverted as it flew from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the city of Grozny. Grozny is located in Russia's North Caucasus region. It appeared to be hit by something, with an oxygen tank from the dropdown emergency masks then exploding on board.

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It crashed while trying to reach another airport in Aktau, in western Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage appears to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball about two miles from the Aktau airport.

The airline said 67 people were on board — 62 passengers and five crew members — and 38 people died in the crash. There were 29 survivors.

Putin's call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev came after speculation grew that Russian air defense may have accidentally shot down the plane.

In an official statement Saturday, the Kremlin said air defense systems were firing near Grozny on Wednesday due to a Ukrainian drone strike, but stopped short of saying one of these hit the plane.

"(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 and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Kremlin said the call took place at Putin's request.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia all opened investigations into the cause of the crash. The Kremlin has urged people not to jump to conclusions. Investigators have recovered both of the so-called black boxes, the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, from the crash site.

On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon.

A U.S. official told CBS News there were early indications a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane in a region where Ukrainian and Russian forces have traded drone and rocket fire for months. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said if that proved to be true, it would further underscore Russia's recklessness in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that U.S. officials "have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems."

He confirmed to reporters that the U.S. has intelligence or information pointing to the possibility, but said Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are currently conducting the investigation and the U.S. will "respect that process."

Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-russia-azerbaijan-plane-crash-kazakhastan/

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NPR News

In an official statement Saturday, the Kremlin said air defense systems were firing near Grozny due to a Ukrainian drone strike as the plane attempted to land, but stopped short of saying one of these hit the plane.

According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace."

On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon.

Friday's assessments by Rashan Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed those made by outside aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack.

Neither Kirby or the Azerbaijani minister directly addressed the statements blaming air defenses.

Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5241758/azerbaijani-plane-crash-putin-apologizes

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Conclusion

If this is an accidental downing of the civilian aircraft, we will know.

In the meantime, there is an upsurge in international concern over aviation safety in war zones.

This crash marks a potential as Russia's second instance of error in downing a civilian plane, the first being a 2024 incident involving an MH17.

After this crash, multiple airlines, including Turkmen Airlines and Flydubai suspended flights to Russia.

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WHAT I REALLY THINK

Since Russia diverted the plane, you would think that it would have communicated its presence with defensive teams. Perhaps the left hand didn't talk to the right hand, because someone obviously made a big mistake by pressing the button at the wrong time.

Interesting that Russia is conducting a “criminal” investigation over this matter. It's just a matter of time to find out who pushed that button.

Once the investigation discovery is completed, we will know more. You never know if Ukraine did it.

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After the “apology”, here’s a Twitter poll on the Public’s Opinion of Putin:

Source: https://x.com/globalxint/status/1872999849681179011?s=46

Do you think this was an “irresponsible” incident on Russia’s part?

What do you think of Putin’s “apology”?