Friday, October 10, 2025 - Russian President
Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday, October 9 that Russian air defenses were
responsible for the downing of an Azerbaijani jetliner in December 2024 that
killed 38 people.
This marks his first explicit admission of responsibility
for the crash, which appears to be an effort to ease tensions between the two
neighboring countries.
Putin explained that missiles fired by Russian air defenses
which were targeting a Ukrainian drone exploded near the Azerbaijan Airlines
plane.
The jet, which was flying from Baku, was preparing to land
in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya republic, on December 25, 2024.
Ukrainian drones have routinely carried out strikes deep inside Russian
territory.
Speaking at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe, Putin pledged to punish those
responsible and provide compensation for the victims. Both leaders were in
Dushanbe to attend a summit of former Soviet nations.
Azerbaijani authorities had previously stated that the jet
was accidentally hit by Russian air defense fire. The plane attempted to land
in western Kazakhstan but crashed, killing 38 of the 67 people aboard.
While Putin offered an apology for the "tragic
incident" days after the crash, he had previously stopped short of
explicitly admitting responsibility. Aliyev, in turn, had criticized Moscow for
attempting to "hush up" the incident. The controversy over the crash
has significantly strained the previously warm relations between Moscow and
Baku.
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