Putin apologizes to Azerbaijani president over 'tragic incident' in Russian airspace

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the "tragic incident" in Russian airspace during a phone talk with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Saturday, referring to a recent Azerbaijani plane crash, the Kremlin said.

The Azerbaijani flight repeatedly tried to land at the airport in Grozny, Putin said, adding that at that time, Grozny was experiencing a Ukrainian drone attack and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.

During the phone call, Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, the Azerbaijani president's press service said.

Aliyev said that the plane had to be diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan, where it made an emergency landing.

Citing testimonies from survivors, including flight attendants, as evidence of external interference, Aliyev said that the aircraft's fuselage had been punctured by foreign particles during the flight, injuring passengers and crew members.

The two leaders agreed on the need for a thorough investigation. Aliyev confirmed that an international team of experts had already begun examining the incident.

The Russian Investigative Committee had opened a criminal case under violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport, Putin told Aliyev, adding that primary investigations are ongoing.

An Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, with 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Thirty-eight people were killed in the crash, and 29 were rescued, according to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations.