Overview

• The admission came at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe during Putin’s visit to Tajikistan.
• Putin said investigations are complete and promised a legal evaluation of those responsible as Russia prepares compensation for victims’ families and Azerbaijan.
• The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 departed Baku for Grozny with 67 people on board and crashed on December 25, 2024 near Aktau in Kazakhstan, killing 38.
• Putin stated the air-defense rockets did not score a direct hit but detonated nearby while tracking a Ukrainian drone, with fragments damaging the aircraft.
• The crash had strained relations between Moscow and Baku, and Aliyev thanked Putin for taking personal charge of the case and committing to compensation.