Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Azerbaijan’s President about an incident where two Russian missiles exploded near an Azerbaijan Airlines plane last year due to Ukrainian drones breaching Russian airspace. Putin assured compensation for the victims of the incident.
The plane, Flight J2-8243 traveling from Baku to Grozny, had to make an emergency landing near Aktau in Kazakhstan on December 25 after changing course from southern Russia. This move was in response to reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the region, resulting in the death of at least 38 individuals.
Video footage captured Putin and Aliyev exchanging pleasantries before a meeting in Tajikistan where Putin discussed the plane crash. Last year, Putin had publicly apologized to Aliyev for the “tragic incident” caused by Russian air defenses countering Ukrainian drones over Russian airspace. During the recent meeting, Putin reiterated his commitment to providing compensation and a thorough investigation into the incident.
Putin disclosed that two Russian air defense missiles detonated near the plane after Ukrainian drones breached Russian airspace. The Embraer jet flew from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya, where the incident unfolded, and then managed to travel 280 miles (450 km) across the Caspian Sea, albeit severely damaged.
Aliyev expressed dissatisfaction with Moscow’s initial response to the crash, criticizing what he perceived as attempts to conceal the true cause of the tragedy. Putin affirmed the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the events leading to the incident to ascertain the actual circumstances.