Putin apologises for Azerbaijan plane incident but denies responsibility

 Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev for the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace on Christmas Day, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people.

However, Putin stopped short of taking full responsibility, instead attributing the crash to a "tragic incident" occurring amid Russia's efforts to repel Ukrainian drone strikes in the region.

The plane, which was attempting to land in Chechnya, was struck by Russian air defense systems, forcing it to divert across the Caspian Sea and crash-land in Kazakhstan.

Survivors had reported hearing loud bangs before the crash, suggesting the aircraft had been targeted. While Russia has acknowledged the incident, aviation experts and Azerbaijan’s authorities believe the plane’s GPS was jammed and shrapnel from missile blasts damaged the aircraft.

The Russian aviation authorities have called the situation in the region "complicated" due to ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on Chechnya.

The Kremlin has launched a criminal investigation into the incident, while Azerbaijan has also initiated its own probe.