Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev following the tragic crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The flight, carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, resulted in at least 38 fatalities.
In a heartfelt statement, President Putin apologized for the incident that occurred in Russian airspace. He expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
'At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,' the Kremlin said.
President Aliyev noted that the plane was subjected to external physical and technical interference while navigating Russian airspace, leading to a complete loss of control and its subsequent redirection to Aktau.
The Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case regarding the crash. Collaborative efforts between Russian, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh specialized services are underway at the crash site to determine the exact cause and prevent future incidents.
Reference(s):
Putin speaks with Aliyev over Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
cgtn.com
