Overview

• Speaking beside Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Vladimir Putin gave his first public acknowledgment that two Russian air‑defence missiles exploded near the jet that crashed in December 2024.
• Putin said the missiles were launched to counter Ukrainian drones and that debris, not a direct hit, caused the damage; he pledged compensation and a legal assessment.
• Kazakhstan’s February report cited external‑object strikes and showed puncture damage and system failures consistent with fragmentation effects.
• An Azerbaijani source told Reuters that fragments consistent with a Russian Pantsir‑S missile were recovered, while Russia’s aviation authority says it lacked full access to the wreckage.
• Flight J2‑8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of 67 people and worsening Russia‑Azerbaijan relations as Baku imposed closures and entry bans.