Days after an Azerbaijan Airlines airliner crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, the Kremlin said on Saturday that Russian air defense forces had responded to a series of Ukrainian drone strikes as the plane was about to land in Grozny, Russia. He admitted that he was fighting back.
“The Azerbaijani airliner was flying on schedule but repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At the time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian drones, and Russian air defense systems were We repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said.
The Embraer airliner (EMBR3.SA) flew from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Russia’s southern Chechnya region on Christmas Day before bursting into flames near the Kazakh city of Aktau and veering hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea. Ta. .
Russian President Vladimir Putin also apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday for what the Kremlin described as a “tragic incident” in Russian airspace.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, reiterated his deep and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement. said.
This is the first time the Kremlin has responded that Ukrainian and U.S. officials have been responding to the incident for a long time.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that the United States had seen “initial indications” that the plane may have been shot down by Russian air defenses, but that further He declined to comment.
Ukrainian Presidential Spokesman Andriy Yermak also said Russia should be held accountable.
According to a statement from the Azerbaijan President’s Office, President Aliyev said in a conversation with President Putin that the aircraft had “suffered from external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control and “I changed direction,” he said. Aktau. ”
However, according to a BBC report, Russian Civil Aviation Authority chief Dmitry Yadorov said the situation in Grozny is “very complex” amid the recent wave of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in Grozny and Vladikavkaz. He said that.
In a video statement released through Russia’s TASS news agency, Yadorov acknowledged that Ukrainian combat drones had launched “terrorist attacks” against key infrastructure in both cities. In response, a “carpet plan” was established near Grozny Airport.
“The ‘carpet plan’ provides for the immediate departure of all aircraft from the designated areas,” Yadorov explained. Adding to the complexity of the situation, dense fog further hampered operations at Grozny Airport.
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