Putin Apologises Over 'Tragic Incident' in Russian Airspace

But Russian leader stops short of saying air defences hit plane

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MOSCOW - Mr Vladimir Putin admitted on Dec 28 that Russian air defences were active when an Azerbaijan Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, breaking the Kremlin's silence as speculation mounted Russia may have accidentally shot down the plane.

The Russian leader called his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, apologising for the incident that took place in Russian airspace, while stopping short of saying Russian air defences hit the plane. Baku, meanwhile, said Mr Aliyev had emphasised to Mr Putin that the plane was hit by outside interference over Russia, saying it wanted those responsible "held accountable".

The phone call between the allies came three days after the Embraer 190 plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of 67 people on board.

Western experts have pointed the finger at Russia, while the US said it had early indications the plane was shot down.

Mr Putin told Mr Aliyev the plane had tried to land in Grozny "several times".

"During this time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks," Mr Putin said, according to a transcript.