The fuselage of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, after its crash in Aktau, Kazakhstan, December 25, 2024. THE ADMINISTRATION OF MANGYSTAU REGION VIA AP Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on Saturday, December 28, that Russian air defense was in action on Wednesday when an Embraer 190 plane from the Azerbaijani company Azerbaijan Airline attempted to land in Grozny. In a press release, the Kremlin wrote that “at the initiative of the Russian side, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev”. Mr. Putin noted that “the Azerbaijani airliner repeatedly attempted to land at Grozny airport. At the same time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defenses repelled these attacks.” The Russian president, however, did not reveal whether the plane had been hit by these defenses. Since Wednesday’s disaster, suspicion has focused on Russia, which may have accidentally shot down the plane. If Mr. Putin therefore did not recognize the responsibility of his army, he nevertheless apologized to Mr. Aliev. “Vladimir Putin apologized for the fact that this tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his sincere and deep condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” added the Kremlin. The White House assured Friday that it had “preliminary indications which suggest the possibility that this plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems”, echoing Western experts who believe that the images showing a fuselage riddled with holes suggested to such a shot. Comments that spokesperson Dmitri Peskov refused to comment on. Ilham Aliev insists on the presence of holes in the fuselage For his part, the Azerbaijani president recalled that the plane had been hit by “external physical interference in Russian airspace, leading to a loss of control and a redirection towards the Kazakh town of Aktau”, supporting the theory of a Russian anti-aircraft defense shot. “The Head of State stressed that the multiple holes in the fuselage of the plane, the injuries suffered by the passengers and crew (…) as well as the testimonies of the flight attendants and surviving passengers confirm the evidence of external physical and technical interference,” writes the Azerbaijani presidency in a press release summarizing the conversation between MM. Aliyev and Putin. Vladimir Putin also spoke with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to a Kremlin press release. “The Kazakh government commission responsible for investigating all the details of the incident will call on Russian, Azerbaijani and Brazilian experts (…) This work, carried out on the territory of Kazakhstan, will be objective and transparent,” said Mr. Poutine. According to the Kazakh authorities, 17 experts of different nationalities are participating in the investigations. Among them, two Russians and Brazilians, Embraer being a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is also to join the investigation. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover On Wednesday, the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 which was to connect Baku to Grozny crashed in Aktau, in western Kazakhstan, on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. When the plane crashed and burst into flames, 38 of the 67 people on board the plane were killed. For its part, the European Union called on Saturday for a “rapid and independent” investigation into the crash after the United States suggested the accident could have been caused by a Russian anti-aircraft missile. “I call for a rapid and independent international investigation,” wrote the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, on » of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down by a pro-Russian rebel missile over Ukraine in 2014. Read also | Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan: the company says the accident was due to “external interference” Read later Le Monde with AFP and Reuters Reuse this content
Author : News7
Publish date : 2024-12-29 08:48:53
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