Putin Avoids Taking Blame for Azerbaijan Airlines Fatal Crash in Russian Airspace, Apologizes to Aliyev for 'Tragic Incident'

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a rare public apology on Saturday following the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Russian airspace, but stopped short of accepting responsibility for the incident.

Without confirming Russia's role, Putin expressed condolences for the crash that occurred Wednesday near Aktau in Kazakhstan and left at least 38 people dead, Reuters reported.

Flight J2-8243 was en route from Baku to Grozny when it diverted from its course amid reports of Ukrainian drone attacks on southern Russian cities. Preliminary investigations by Azerbaijan suggest the Embraer jet was mistakenly shot down by Russian air defenses, though the Kremlin has not explicitly accepted responsibility.

During a phone call with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Putin apologized for the "tragic incident" and offered condolences to the victims' families. The Kremlin noted that Russian air defenses were active at the time, repelling Ukrainian drone strikes near Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz, and that both civilian and military specialists were under investigation.

Azerbaijan has asserted that the plane was subject to "external physical and technical interference" in Russian airspace, causing it to lose control and crash-land in Kazakhstan. Passengers described hearing a loud bang before the crash, with footage showing bloodied survivors emerging from the wreckage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also extended condolences to Aliyev, demanding "clear explanations" from Russia for the incident.

The incident highlights the dangers to civil aviation near active conflict zones, reminiscent of previous tragedies including Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' mistaken attack on a Ukrainian airliner in 2020.