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Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to the leadership of Azerbaijan to express his regret over a tragic event involving an Azerbaijani aircraft on Christmas Day, which entered Russian airspace.
In a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin conveyed his “deep and sincere condolences” to the families impacted by the incident, as communicated by the Kremlin’s press office on Saturday.
The Embraer 190 belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines was heading from Baku to Grozny when it unexpectedly detoured over the Caspian Sea, ultimately crash-landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Tragically, 38 out of the 67 individuals onboard lost their lives.
High-ranking officials from the US and Ukraine have pointed fingers at Russian anti-aircraft actions as the cause of this accident.
Although the Kremlin’s Saturday announcement refrained from outright confirming Russian involvement in the air defense operations leading to the crash, it notably didn’t reject the accusations either.
It was revealed that the aircraft made several attempts to land at Grozny airport amidst Ukrainian drone strikes on nearby cities, which engaged Russian air defenses, according to the Kremlin.
Putin reportedly extended his apologies “for the unfortunate incident in Russian airspace,” as mentioned in the Kremlin’s statement.
A Russian investigative body has launched a criminal inquiry into potential breaches of aviation safety guidelines, noting that both civilian and military personnel are being interrogated as part of the process.
Simultaneously, an official investigation is underway, collaboratively led by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russian officials, with Baku spearheading the effort.
This sentiment of accountability stands in stark contrast to Russia’s prior refusal to acknowledge responsibility for the 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 disaster. Investigations had traced a surface-to-air missile to territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels in Ukraine. A Dutch court incriminated three individuals linked to the Russian military for their parts in the tragedy.
Richard Giragosian, who directs the Regional Studies Center in Yerevan, remarked that the Kremlin’s statement was both “unexpected and atypical” of Putin’s usual stance. He suggested that this reflects “the overall weak position of Russia” amidst its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, highlighting Putin’s priority of fostering ties with Turkey, a supportive state to Azerbaijan.
Political analyst Andrey Kolesnikov, based in Moscow, noted a swift shift in the Azerbaijani populace’s sentiment, now significantly leaning towards anti-Russian views due to the crash.
Initially, Russia’s top aviation authorities hinted at a bird strike as the crash’s cause, whereas Azerbaijan’s president was informed about adverse weather conditions being responsible for the flight’s diversion.
On Friday, John Kirby, representing the US National Security Council, indicated preliminary signs suggest Russian air defenses struck the plane. Concurrently, Azerbaijan’s transport minister Rashad Nabiyev attributed the crash to a weapon’s impact.
Reports from survivors, both passengers and crew, mentioned hearing explosions near the plane while flying over Grozny.
On Thursday, Dmitry Yadrov, the chief of Russia’s aviation authority, acknowledged the challenging flight conditions near Grozny owing to Ukrainian drone attacks.
In light of the disaster, five airlines have temporarily halted certain flight routes to Russia.
Turkmenistan Airlines paused its Ashgabat-Moscow route, and Azerbaijan Airlines, Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air, and the UAE’s Flydubai halted services to southern Russia. Additionally, Israel’s El Al suspended its flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow.
Extra contributions by Robert Wright in London.
