PUTIN BREAKS SILENCE: Shock Apology Over Christmas Day Plane Disaster – But Who’s Really to Blame?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an apology to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev regarding a commercial airliner crash that claimed 38 lives. However, he did not explicitly acknowledge Russian responsibility for the incident. The Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, carrying 67 passengers, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25 after encountering difficulties in Russian airspace. The flight, designated J2-8243, had departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, heading for Grozny, Chechnya, when it was forced to divert across the Caspian Sea. In his first public statement about the Christmas Day incident, Putin described it as a "tragic incident" that occurred while Russian air defense systems were countering Ukrainian drone attacks. According to the Kremlin's statement, Putin noted that Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack from Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles at the time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by calling Russia to "stop spreading disinformation" […]
