MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia apologized to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Saturday for a “tragic incident” involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed after Russian air defenses targeted Ukrainian drones.
The flight, J2-8243, went down in a fiery crash near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing at least 38 people. The aircraft had diverted from its original route in southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones were reportedly striking several cities.
Preliminary findings from Azerbaijan’s investigation indicate that Russian air defenses mistakenly shot down the plane, according to four sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters on Thursday.
“President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The statement also noted that Ukrainian drones had been attacking Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz at the time, prompting Russian air defense systems to respond.
The apology came during a call initiated by Mr. Putin, the Kremlin said.
Mr. Aliyev, in a statement from Azerbaijan’s presidential office, said the plane had been “subjected to external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control and redirection to the Kazakh city of Aktau.”
The Embraer passenger jet had been en route from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region before veering hundreds of miles off course over the Caspian Sea.
