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Putin Admits Russian Missiles Brought Down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight

The rare admission comes with a pledge to compensate victims’ families.

Overview

  • Putin said two Russian air-defense missiles exploded about 10 meters from the jet, with fragments—not a direct hit—causing fatal damage.
  • He said the missiles were launched at Ukrainian drones and cited a malfunction in Russia’s air-defense system as a contributing factor.
  • Russia will provide compensation and conduct a legal assessment of officials’ actions, while Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the disclosure.
  • The Embraer 190 crashed on December 25, 2024 near Aktau, Kazakhstan after diverting from Grozny, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.
  • Kazakhstan’s earlier report documented external punctures to the fuselage, and investigators reportedly recovered a Pantsir-S missile fragment as findings near completion.