Putin Called Aliyev and Apologized

Putin and Aliyev discussed the crash of the Azerbaijani Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan on December 25 over the phone, the Kremlin reported. The conversation took place at the initiative of the Russian side.

The Russian president apologized for the tragic incident occurring in Russian airspace and expressed deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims. Putin noted that the downed aircraft had attempted to land in Grozny multiple times.

The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case under the article ‘Violation of Traffic Safety and Operation of Air Transport Regulations’. Preliminary investigative actions are underway, with civil and military specialists being interrogated.