Putin: Two missiles fired by the Russian air defense system did not directly hit the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed
Russian State News Agency, Dushanbe, October 09 - Russian President Putin stated that two missiles fired by the Russian air defense system did not directly hit the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed, but exploded several meters away.
Putin met with Azerbaijani President Aliyev in a government building in the capital of Tajikistan. Putin arrived in Tajikistan on October 08 for a state visit.
During his meeting with Aliyev, Putin said, "At this stage, it can basically be pointed out that the cause of the accident is related to multiple factors. The first factor was the presence of Ukrainian drones in the air. We simultaneously detected three drones crossing the Russian border. The second factor was a technical failure in the Russian air defense system. The two missiles launched did not directly hit the plane because if they had, the plane would have crashed immediately, but the missiles exploded about 10 meters away, possibly self-destructing."
Putin pointed out that the crashed plane was likely hit by fragments rather than the missile's warhead.
Putin said that the crew of the crashed plane had been offered to land at the Makhachkala airport, but the crew decided to head to the base airport.
Putin also emphasized that Russia will provide all assistance for the investigation into the accident.
On the morning of December 25, 2024, an Embraer 190 passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, which was flying from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed near Aktau city in western Kazakhstan. According to information from Azerbaijan Airlines, there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board. According to the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry, 29 people survived.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845512481526858/
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