AP
—
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia’s air defenses were responsible for the downing of an Azerbaijani airliner in December that killed 38 people, his first admission of responsibility for the crash in a bid to ease tensions between the neighboring countries.
President Putin said that on December 25, 2024, a missile launched by Russia’s air defense forces targeting a Ukrainian drone exploded near an Azerbaijan Airlines plane from Baku that was preparing to land in Grozny, the regional capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic. Ukrainian drones regularly strike deep into Russia.
In a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, where he was attending a summit of former Soviet Union countries, President Putin promised to punish those responsible and provide compensation.
Azerbaijani authorities said the plane was accidentally hit by Russian fire and then crashed while attempting to land in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.
Days after the crash, President Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident,” but stopped short of accepting responsibility. Meanwhile, Aliyev criticized the Russian government for trying to “cover up” the incident.
The controversy over the crash has disrupted previously warm relations between Moscow and Baku. Relations between the two countries were further destabilized by the death of an Azerbaijani man rounded up by police in a Russian city in June and a series of arrests of Russians in Azerbaijan.
On Thursday, Putin said in a meeting with Aliyev that Russian air defenses targeting a Ukrainian drone opened fire on the Azerbaijani airliner because of a “technical failure,” adding that two missiles exploded just 10 meters (33 feet) from the plane.
“It is clear that the Russian side will do everything possible to provide compensation and legally evaluate the actions of all responsible officials,” he said.
“Of course, these words related to this tragedy are aimed at supporting the families, that is, moral support, and do not solve the main problem. They cannot bring back to life those who died as a result of the tragedy,” Putin added.
He expressed hope to overcome tensions between the two countries and fully rebuild relations.
“We hope that cooperation between the two countries will not only be restored, but will continue in line with the spirit of bilateral relations and alliance,” he said.
Aliyev thanked President Putin for investigating the cause of the crash.
“I would like to thank you for taking the situation under personal control,” he said.
The Azerbaijani leader said he had the opportunity to discuss a “broad and positive” bilateral agenda and expressed hope that “the message we are sending today to our society will receive a positive response.”
