(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that his country was involved in the 2024 crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane, calling it a“tragedy,” reported AFP.

On December 25, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 of the 67 passengers and crew on board. This occurred after it was diverted from its scheduled landing in the southern Russian city of Grozny.

Days after the crash, Putin apologised to Aliyev for what he described as a“tragic incident,” but he did not admit responsibility. Meanwhile, Aliyev criticised Moscow for attempting to“hush up” the event.

During a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin stated that Russia had launched two missiles to target Ukrainian drones on the morning of the incident, and these missiles detonated“a few meters away” from the aircraft.

“The two missiles that were fired did not directly hit the aircraft. If that had happened, it would have crashed on the spot,” AFP quoted Putin.

Russian air traffic controllers suggested the pilot try to land in Makhachkala, but he instead attempted to land at his home airport and then in Kazakhstan, where the plane eventually came to a stop down, Putin noted.

"Russia will do everything necessary in such tragic cases to provide compensation, and the actions of all officials will be legally assessed," he said.

Aliyev earlier alleged that Russia was trying to hide the real reason behind the crash.

He expressed gratitude to Putin on Thursday for his support and sharing“detailed information about the tragedy,” the report quoted the Kremlin's statement.

Russia's air transport agency initially indicated that the Embraer 190 was diverted due to a bird strike.

Russia's handling of the incident dramatically soured relations with Azerbaijan, an oil-rich post-Soviet state with historically close links to Moscow.

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