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Putin apologises for plane crash, without saying Russia at fault
The Sunday Guardian
|December 29, 2024
Putin said the 'tragic incident' had occurred when Russian air defence systems were actively repelling Ukrainian drones.
MOSCOW Russia's President Vladimir Putin has apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan for the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 people were killed - but stopped short of saying Russia was responsible.
In his first comments on the Christmas Day crash, Putin said the "tragic incident" had occurred when Russian air defence systems were actively repelling Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky said Russia must "stop spreading disinformation" about the strike. The plane reportedly came under fire from Russian air defence systems as it tried to land in Chechnya forcing it to divert across the Caspian Sea. It crash-landed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 on board.
The Kremlin released a statement on Saturday noting Putin had spoken to Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev by phone.
This story is from the December 29, 2024 edition of The Sunday Guardian.
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