6 months ago
59
ARTICLE AD BOX
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speech during their gathering connected the sidelines of the Russia-Central Asia acme successful Dushanbe, Tajikistan, connected Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Thursday formally acknowledged that the December 2024 clang of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, which claimed 38 lives, was caused by missiles launched from the Russian territory.Putin met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev connected the sidelines of the 2nd Russia–Central Asia Summit successful Dushanbe, Tajikistan. According to Russia’s state-owned Sputnik quality agency, Putin told his counterpart that the incidental occurred erstwhile Russian missiles tracking Ukrainian drones detonated conscionable a fewer meters from the civilian aircraft.“Russia was tracking 3 Ukrainian drones that crossed its border. Two air-defence missiles launched by Russia did not straight deed the AZAL craft — they detonated a fewer meters away.
The level was astir apt damaged by fragments, not by the missiles’ warheads themselves,” Sputnik quoted Putin arsenic saying.
Russia and Ukraine person been engaged successful a subject struggle since February 24, 2022.On December 25, 2024, the formation — carrying 67 people, including 62 passengers, 2 pilots, and 3 compartment unit — took disconnected from Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, bound for Grozny successful Russia. It crashed successful Akatu, Kazakhstan, sidesplitting 35 passengers, some pilots, and 1 formation attendant.
Three days later, connected December 28, Putin spoke to Aliyev by phone and “apologised” for the incident. At the time, helium said Russian aerial defence systems had been progressive to antagonistic Ukrainian drones but stopped abbreviated of explicitly acknowledging that Russian missiles were liable for downing the aircraft.
