The Russian president declined to accept blame for the “unfortunate event,” which allegedly transpired when the aircraft encountered fire from Russian air defenses while attempting to land in Chechnya, resulting in it being redirected across the Caspian Sea.
The Kremlin issued a statement:
In a statement, President Vladimir Putin expressed regret over the incident happening in Russian territory, extending heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and wishing a swift recovery to those injured.
In the rare publicised apology, Putin also acknowledged the plane had repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport in Chechnya.
During the incident, it was reported that cities such as Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under assault by Ukrainian drones, with Russian air defense systems successfully repelling the attacks.
The Kremlin read-out made no direct admission that the plane had been struck by Russian missiles.
