Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that Russian air defences were responsible for the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in December, which killed 38 people. Speaking at a summit in Tajikistan, Putin said missiles fired to target a Ukrainian drone exploded near the Embraer 190 jet as it prepared to land in Grozny, Chechnya, on 25 December 2024.
Putin acknowledged that a 'technical malfunction' caused the air defences to fire on the civilian aircraft, with two missiles exploding just 10 metres away. He pledged to punish those responsible and provide compensation to the victims' families, stating: 'The Russian side will obviously do everything to provide compensation and give legal assessment to all responsible officials’ action.'
The crash occurred after the jet was hit accidentally by Russian fire and attempted an emergency landing in western Kazakhstan. Of the 67 people on board, 38 died. Azerbaijani authorities had previously blamed Russian fire, and President Ilham Aliyev criticised Moscow for initially trying to 'hush up' the incident.
The controversy has strained previously warm relations between Moscow and Baku, further complicated by the deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis in a Russian city and arrests of Russians in Azerbaijan. Putin expressed hope for restoring ties, saying: 'I hope that our cooperation not only will be restored, but continue in the spirit of our relations.'
Aliyev thanked Putin for investigating the cause and keeping the situation under personal control, voicing hope that the messages sent to their societies would meet a positive response. Days after the crash, Putin had apologised for what he called a 'tragic incident' but stopped short of accepting responsibility.
