Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday over the Christmas Day plane crash that killed 38 people and injured 29 others, but he did not accept responsibility for the incident. The plane, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, crashed in Russian airspace while attempting to land in Chechnya’s capital Grozny.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has demanded that Russia admit its guilt over the crash, which occurred near the Kazakh city of Aktau. In a state TV interview, Aliyev stated that “the plane was shot down by Russia” and called for an apology, acknowledgment of guilt, punishment, and compensation to be paid to Azerbaijan.
Aliyev said the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan and acknowledge its role in the crash. He also demanded that those responsible be punished and compensated. Putin apologized over the phone call with Aliyev on Saturday but did not accept responsibility for the crash in a translated government news release.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/30/azerbaijan-airlines-crash-russia