In the aftermath of a devastating Azerbaijan Airlines crash that claimed 38 lives in Kazakhstan, the Kremlin has acknowledged that Russian air defense forces were engaged in repelling Ukrainian drone attacks as the aircraft attempted to land in Grozny, Russia.
The Embraer passenger jet, flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia’s southern Chechnya region, veered off course and crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan after a fiery descent across the Caspian Sea.
“The Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, traveling according to its schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said in its first statement on the incident.
Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an official apology to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday, expressing condolences to the victims’ families. “President Vladimir Putin apologised for the tragic incident in Russian airspace and conveyed sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin noted.
The crash has drawn international attention, with US officials suggesting Russian air defenses may have inadvertently caused the disaster. White House spokesperson John Kirby stated that the US had seen “early indications” pointing to this possibility, though he withheld further details. Ukrainian presidential spokesperson Andriy Yermak called for Russia to be held accountable.
Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation agency, described the situation at Grozny airport as “very complicated” amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in Grozny and Vladikavkaz. He revealed that the Russian military enacted a “Carpet plan,” a protocol for immediate evacuation of aircraft from conflict zones.
“The ‘Carpet plan’ was activated in the Grozny airport vicinity,” Yadrov said, adding that dense fog compounded the challenges faced by air traffic controllers.