CNN —
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has apologized for the fact that an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after entering Russian airspace in Grozny, Chechnya, on Wednesday, but did not say that Russia was responsible.
Putin said Saturday that Russia’s air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny, according to the Kremlin. Unable to reach the airport, the aircraft diverted east, eventually crashing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people on board.
People from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were on board the plane. Among the survivors were two children.
It is unconfirmed what was behind the incident, but a US official told CNN on Thursday that early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the passenger jet. In his comments, Putin did not say that Russian air defenses hit the plane.
Putin “apologized for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace” in a phone call with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said that the plane “repeatedly attempted to land at the airport in Grozny” but at the same time, the areas of “Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.”
Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case in relation to the disaster, the statement said.
Video and images of the plane after it crashed show perforations in its body that look similar to damage from shrapnel or debris. The cause of these holes has not been confirmed.
CNN aviation analyst Miles O’Brien explained Thursday that the fact that the metal around the holes is bent inwards shows that there was “an explosion in proximity to the tail of that aircraft.”
The US official that spoke to CNN also said that the holes on the side of the aircraft are consistent with shrapnel damage from an explosion.
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev told Putin that the plane “encountered external physical and technical interference while in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control,” according to an official presidential statement about Saturday’s call.
Aliyev said that Azerbaijani authorities had examined holes in the plane’s fuselage, reviewed passenger and crew members’ injuries from “foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight” and heard survivors’ testimonies.
Putin also expressed condolences over the crash in a phone call with the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on Saturday, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that he also spoke to Aliyev on Saturday, and conveyed his condolences regarding the “tragic crash.”
“Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation. Photos and videos clearly show the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including punctures and dents, which strongly point to a strike by an air defense missile,” Zelensky said.
Asked by a reporter whether Putin should take responsibility for the crash, US President Joe Biden – who is on vacation in the US Virgin Islands – said that “apparently” the Russian leader had already done so. “Apparently he did, but I haven’t spoken yet with my team,” Biden responded as he left a church in St. Croix, before getting into his awaiting vehicle.
At least five airlines have temporarily suspended flights to areas in Russia since the disaster, including Azerbaijan Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines, El Al Israel, Flydubai and Qazaq Air.
Most of those airlines cited safety concerns when announcing the suspensions.
