More airlines are canceling their flights to Russian cities because of the plane crash that happened on Christmas Day.
Sara Hussein,
Olli-Pekka Sulasma
15:03•Updated 15:50
President of Russia Vladimir Putin apologized on Saturday for Azerbaijan Airlines’ “tragic incident in Russian airspace” the President of Azerbaijan To Ilham Aliyevthe Kremlin informs.
However, Putin did not take direct responsibility for the crash, but said that Russian air defense “was active” during the accident. The Kremlin did not say whether the downed plane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile.
Putin’s call to Aliyev comes at a time when speculation is growing about the role of Russian air defense in the damage to the plane.
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia crashed on Christmas Day in Kazakhstan. At least 38 passengers on the plane were killed.
The information provided by the news agencies about the speeches of both presidents speaks of caution.
Putin said that the Azerbaijani plane tried to land in Grozny several times. According to him, at the same time, the cities of Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks, and Russian air defense repelled these attacks.
Putin also conveyed his condolences to the families of those who died in Turma and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The injured were transported from Kazakhstan to Baku on Friday.
Aliyev, on the other hand, spoke to Putin about the “physical, external harassment” directed at the plane.
Also the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has said that he was in telephone contact with Alijev. He demands that Russia must give an explanation of what happened.
EU foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas on Saturday called for a quick, impartial investigation into the plane crash.
Flights to Russia are cancelled
Central Asian countries in particular are canceling their flights to Russia because of the accident that happened to the Azerbaijani plane. On Saturday, Turkmenistan announced that its state airline will stop flights between the country’s capitals for a month.
Azerbaijan’s national airline has suspended flights to ten Russian cities after the crash. The Kazakh company Qazaq Air has canceled flights to Yekaterinburg until the end of January.
Israel’s El Al has also canceled its two weekly flights to Moscow. The Flydubai company has suspended its flights from Dubai to two Russian cities.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters