Putin apologises for Azerbaijan plane crash – but blames Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has apologised for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash but stopped short of accepting responsibility for what he described as a “tragic incident”.

In a phone call with Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, Putin “offered his apologies” and admitted that the problems began in Russian airspace.

He told Mr Aliyev that Russian air defences had been responding to an attack by Ukrainian drones on Grozny, southern Russia, where the plane was due to land, according to the Kremlin.

The plane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of 67 passengers. The pilots, who both died in the crash, were credited with saving many lives by managing to land part of the plane.

In his statement, which broke three days of official silence from the Kremlin, Putin did not attribute the downing of the plane to the actions of Russian air defences.

But in its own statement, Baku suggested that the blame did lie with Moscow.

Mr Aliyev reportedly “emphasised” to Putin that the plane was hit by “external interference” over Russia and said it wanted those responsible “held accountable”.

Mr Aliyev said that “multiple holes in the aircraft’s fuselage and injuries sustained by passengers and crew were due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight”.

He also noted that “testimonies of the surviving flight attendants and passengers of the plane confirm the fact of external physical and technical impact”.

In their call, Putin told Mr Aliyev that a criminal case had been opened by the Investigative Committee of Russia. The Azerbaijani president called for regular public updates and a “completely transparent” process.

The phone call came after the White House on Friday said that “early indications” were that Russian air defences were to blame for the incident.

Putin rarely offers official apologies of any sort. He has consistently denied Russia bears any responsibility for the 2013 downing of flight MH17, which was shot out of the sky by Moscow’s proxy forces in eastern Ukraine, killing 283 passengers and 15 crew.

But Azerbaijan, a former Soviet state, has become increasingly critical to the Russian economy since the war in Ukraine began. It buys Russian oil and gas and provides trade links to Iran, a key ally, that cannot be hit by sanctions.

Officially neutral on the war, Baku has also sought to build economic ties with the West since Moscow invaded in 2022.

Anton Barbashin, the editorial director of online journal Riddle Russia, said that Putin had no option but to apologise to Mr Aliyev given Azerbaijian is “crucial for Russia’s regional infrastructure ambitions”.

An apology would have been especially sensitive, as in 2020 Mr Aliyev personally apologised to Putin after his country’s armed forces mistakenly shot down a Russian helicopter.

Ukraine said Russia should be held responsible for the crash, with leader Volodymyr Zelensky holding his own call with Mr Aliyev.

“Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that the footage makes it look “very much like an air defence missile strike”.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Mr Zelensky accused Slovakia of opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine on the orders of Putin, as a gas transit dispute between the countries continued to escalate.

On Friday, Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine if it follows through on its pledge not to renew a contract that allows Russian gas transit through the country to Europe from Jan 1.

Kyiv has offered to supply nations that rely on the gas with its own domestic supplies instead.

But Mr Fico said ending Russian gas transit would drive up costs for the EU and Slovakia. “But who cares about Slovakia, right, Mr Zelensky?” he said.

“After Jan 1, we will consider the situation and the possibility of reciprocal measures against Ukraine,” Mr Fico, who is also one of the EU’s most outspoken opponents of military aid to Kyiv, said. “If it is unavoidable, we will stop the supply of electricity, which Ukraine urgently needs in the event of grid failures,” he said.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian power plants in heavy barrages throughout the winter.

Mr Zelensky said on Saturday: “Putin gave Fico the order to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the Slovak people’s interests

“Fico’s threats to cut off Ukraine’s emergency power supply this winter, while Russia attacks our power plants and energy grid, can only be explained by this.”

It came as the UK has called for an independent investigation into the downing of the Azerbaijani plane.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident, including the family and friends of those who have died.

“President Putin’s statement fails to recognise that the reckless and irresponsible actions of the Russian state pose an acute and direct threat to the interests and national security of other states. We call for a full and independent investigation.”