It was on Christmas Day that a plane from the Azerbaijani airline Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in western Kazakhstan.
According to sources within the Azerbaijani government and the US, a Russian air defense missile may have been behind the plane crash.
On Saturday, Vladimir Putin spoke with Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev – and told him that the Russian air defense was activated at the time when the plane tried to land.
"At that time, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian drones and the Russian air defense struck back at these attacks," Putin said to Aliyev, according to the Kremlin.
"Offered apologies"
Aliyev told Putin that the plane was hit by a "physical and technical external impact" when it flew over Russia, which led to the pilot losing control of the plane, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidential office.
Russia did not take responsibility for the plane crash, but apologized to Azerbaijan for the incident occurring over Russian airspace.
"Vladimir Putin has offered his apologies for the tragic event occurring in Russia's airspace," it says in a statement from the Kremlin.
EU demands investigation
EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas commented on Saturday on reports that the plane crash may have been the result of Russian fire. According to her, they resemble the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, which in 2014 claimed 298 lives.
"I urge a swift, independent international investigation," Kaja Kallas writes on X.
According to aviation expert Jan Ohlsson, there is no doubt that the plane was shot at:
The holes in the fuselage are bent inward, so the metal is bent inward, which means the impact comes from the outside. There is no woodpecker in the whole world big enough to peck such holes, Jan Ohlsson told TT on Thursday.
