Overview

• Speaking alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin gave his first public admission that Russia was responsible for the incident.
• Putin said Russian forces tracked three Ukrainian drones that night and cited technical failures in air-defence systems as contributing factors.
• He stated the fired missiles did not directly strike the Embraer 190, asserting the aircraft was likely damaged by missile debris.
• The crash on December 25, 2024, in western Kazakhstan killed 38 of the 67 people on board during a scheduled flight from Baku to Grozny.
• Putin pledged compensation to Azerbaijan and announced investigations targeting those responsible after months of strained bilateral relations.