Russian air defences responsible for shooting down Azerbaijani plane, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia’s air defences were to blame for downing an Azerbaijani jetliner in December that killed 38 people, his first admission of responsibility for the crash in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the neighbours.

Mr Putin said the missiles fired by Russian air defences to target a Ukrainian drone exploded near the Azerbaijani Airlines plane flying from Baku as it was preparing to land in Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, on December 25 2024.

Ukrainian drones have regularly struck deep inside Russia.

Speaking at a meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, where both arrived to attend a summit of the former Soviet nations, Mr Putin pledged to punish those responsible and provide compensation for the victims.

Azerbaijani authorities said the jet was accidentally hit by fire from Russian air defences, then tried to land in western Kazakhstan, where it crashed and killed 38 of 67 people aboard.

Days after the crash, Mr Putin apologised to Mr Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident” but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility.

Mr Aliyev, meanwhile, criticised Moscow for trying to “hush up” the incident.

The controversy over the crash has rocked the previously warm ties between Moscow and Baku.

Their relations were further destabilised by deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis rounded up by police in a Russian city in June and a series of arrests of Russians in Azerbaijan.

Speaking to Mr Aliyev on Thursday, Mr Putin said Russian air defences that targeted a Ukrainian drone fired on the Azerbaijani airliner because of a “technical malfunction”, adding that two missiles exploded just 10 metres (33ft) away from the passenger jet.

“The Russian side will obviously do everything to provide compensation and give legal assessment to all responsible officials’ action,” he said.

“Of course, these words related to this tragedy, aimed at supporting – morally supporting – the families do not solve the main problem: We can’t bring back to life those who died as a result of the tragedy,” Mr Putin added.

He voiced hope for overcoming the strain between the countries and fully rebuilding the ties.

Relations with Baku have become increasingly important for the Kremlin since it sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, especially as Azerbaijan’s close ally Turkey has become a key economic partner for Russia as it faced sweeping Western sanctions.

Azerbaijan is a key transport corridor for Russia’s trade with Iran and other partners in the Middle East.

The energy-rich Caspian Sea nation has also bought oil and natural gas from Russia to meet internal demand while exporting its own hydrocarbons to the West.

Russia, in turn, has been the main market for Azerbaijan’s fruit and vegetable exports and is also home to a sizeable Azerbaijani diaspora.

A 2021 census listed about half a million ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Russia, but unofficial estimates put the number as high as two million.

All those ties have suffered as tensions over the jet’s crash have surged.

Both leaders on Thursday signalled their desire to turn the page and ease the strain.

“I hope that our co-operation not only will be restored, but continue in the spirit of our relations, the spirit of our alliance,” Mr Putin said.

Mr Aliyev responded that they had a chance to discuss a “broad and positive” bilateral agenda, voicing hope that “the messages we are sending today to our societies will meet a positive response”.

As part of his state visit to Tajikistan, Mr Putin also sought to bolster relations with the Central Asian nation that neighbours Afghanistan and hosts a Russian military base.