💔 Tragedy struck as an Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, carrying 62 passengers and five crew members, crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, claiming at least 38 lives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to express his deep condolences and apologize for the heartbreaking incident that occurred in Russian airspace.
\"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 a speedy recovery to the injured,\" the Kremlin stated on Saturday.
According to the Kremlin, at the time of the incident, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems were actively repelling these attacks.
President Aliyev noted that the plane had been subjected to external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, leading to a complete loss of control and diversion to the Kazakh city of Aktau.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case to uncover the details of the crash. Initial investigative actions are underway, and two employees of the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan are currently in Grozny, collaborating with Russian counterparts.
Specialized services from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are working closely at the crash site near Aktau to piece together what happened.
Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragic event. 💔
Reference(s):
Putin speaks with Aliyev over Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
cgtn.com
