On Christmas Day, last Wednesday (25), 38 of the 67 people on board Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 died after the aircraft manufactured by Embraer crashed near the city of Aktau, in Kazakhstan.
The plane was traveling from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny, capital of the republic of Chechnya in southern Russia. Takeoff took place at 7:55 am local time (00:55 Brasília time) and the crash occurred around two and a half hours later.
A US official told CNN that early evidence suggests that a Russian air defense system may have caused the crash in the belief that the plane was a long-range Ukrainian drone.
But how did Russian President Vladimir Putin respond to the episode?
The first statement came on Wednesday morning through Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Call to the President of Azerbaijan and condolences
“Unfortunately, Azerbaijani President Aliyev was forced to leave St. Petersburg. Putin has already called him and expressed his condolences in connection with the crash of the Azerbaijani plane in Aktau,” Peskov said.
“We deeply sympathize with those who lost their relatives and friends in this plane crash and wish a speedy recovery to all those who managed to survive,” he added.
The Azerbaijani president was in Russia for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit.
“Full investigation will be carried out,” says Putin
Speaking at the opening of the event, Putin personally commented on the accident for the first time.
“Before we begin (our) work, unfortunately, I must say a few words about the tragedy that happened in Aktau today. The plane crashed. There are dead people. There are many injured. And as we were speaking, on your behalf, I would like to express my condolences to the families of the victims and all those injured, and let us hope for their recovery,” declared the Russian president.
Putin added that he sent a plane from the Russian Emergencies Ministry to Kazakhstan with health workers and necessary equipment.
He also cited the call to the president of Azerbaijan “bearing in mind that the plane belonged to an Azerbaijani airline.”
“Well, I repeat once again, let’s hope for a speedy recovery of the injured and, of course, I’m sure, a full investigation will be carried out. We will coordinate the work of our special and aviation services on all issues related to this tragedy,” he concluded.
Apology for “tragic incident”
This Saturday (28), the Kremlin reported that the Russian president called the president of Azerbaijan again and apologized, without taking responsibility, “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace”.
The Kremlin said the plane “repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny airport [na Rússia]”, 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.”
In his comments, Putin did not say that Russian air defenses hit the plane.
Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case in relation to the disaster, the statement said.
Videos and images of the plane after the crash show holes in the fuselage that appear similar to damage caused by shrapnel or debris. The cause of these holes has not been confirmed.
The aviation analyst at CNN Miles O’Brien, explained on Thursday that the fact that the metal around the holes was bent inward shows that there was “an explosion near the tail of the aircraft.”
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 Azerbaijani authorities examined holes in the plane’s fuselage, analyzed injuries to passengers and crew caused by “foreign particles that penetrated the cabin during the flight” and heard testimonies from survivors.
Putin also expressed condolences over the accident in a phone call with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Saturday, the Kremlin said.
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 these airlines cited safety concerns when announcing the suspensions.
Zelensky calls for “clear explanations” from Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter) that he also spoke to Aliyev this Saturday and conveyed his condolences regarding the “tragic accident”.
“Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation. Photos and videos clearly show damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including holes and dents, which strongly point to an air defense missile attack,” Zelensky said.
Brazilian authorities and representatives from the plane’s manufacturer, Embraer, arrived in Kazakhstan on Friday, according to Azerbaijani state news agency Azertac, as authorities begin the process of piecing together the events that led to the crash.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN aviation agency, said it was deploying an expert on the ground as an observer for the international investigation team.
The agency also called for a “comprehensive and independent investigation” and urged all parties involved “to protect all relevant information and records as part of their full cooperation with the investigation process.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also called for a “swift and independent international investigation” into the disaster, drawing parallels between the recent crash and the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down over separatist-controlled territory. pro-Russia in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
This content was originally published in Apologies, condolences: what Putin said about the plane crash in Kazakhstan on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
