Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized Saturday to his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev, for what he described as a “tragic incident” that led to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan on December 25.

 

Putin told Azerbaijan’s leader that Russian air defenses were active during the time the plane tried to land in Grozny – according to The Kremlin.

 

"During this time, Grozny, (the town of) Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian combat drones and Russian air defence was repelling these attacks," the Kremlin said Putin told Aliyev.

 

Read more: Russian missile may have hit Azerbaijan plane, says US official

 

On Wednesday, December 25, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, resulting in 38 fatalities among the 67 individuals on board.

 

The flight had departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, en route to Grozny, Russia. Due to dense fog in Grozny, the aircraft was diverted to Makhachkala, Russia, but adverse weather there led to a subsequent diversion to Aktau.

 

During its flight, survivors reported an explosion and shrapnel hitting the plane.

 

The incident prompted Azerbaijan to declare a day of mourning.