Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” after the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan, as a result of which 38 people died.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190, was flying from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to the Russian North Caucasus city of Grozny on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that are not yet entirely clear.
It crashed while trying to reach another airport in Aktau in western Kazakhstan. Cell phone footage appears to show the plane descending steeply before crashing into the ground and exploding in a fireball about two miles from the Aktau airport.
Press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan via AP
The airline said there were 67 people on board — 62 passengers and five crew members — and 38 people died in the crash. 29 people remained alive.
Putin's conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev came after speculation grew that the Russian Air Force may have accidentally shot down the plane.
In an official statement on Saturday, the Kremlin said air defense systems fired near Grozny on Wednesday due to a Ukrainian drone strike, but did not say whether one of them hit the plane.
“(President) Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the victims a speedy recovery,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said that the call was made at Putin's request.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia have started an investigation into the causes of the disaster. The Kremlin called people not to jump to conclusions. Investigators recovered both so-called black boxes, flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the crash site.
KAMILA JUMAYEVA/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday, a US official and an Azerbaijani minister issued separate statements blaming foreign weapons for the disaster.
A U.S. official told CBS News that there are early indications that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck the plane in a region where Ukrainian and Russian forces have exchanged drones and missiles for months. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that if true, it would further highlight Russia's recklessness in its current actions. invasion of Ukraine.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that U.S. officials “have seen some early indications that certainly point to the possibility that this plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems.”
He confirmed to reporters that the U.S. had intelligence or information indicating such a possibility, but said Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan were currently investigating and the U.S. would “respect that process.”
Passengers and crew members who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud sounds of the plane circling over Grozny.