Vladimir Putin apologises over Russia shooting at plane that led to horror Christmas Day crash

Russia's leader Vladimir Putin has called Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev to say sorry for Russian air defences firing at the plane which crash landed in Kazakhstan killing 38 people

A shamed Vladimir Putin today apologised for downing a passenger plane and killing 38 people.

The Kremlin dictator called Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev to say sorry for Russian air defences firing at the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft. A total of 38 passengers died in the crash in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after it was shot at over Grozny, its destination after a flight from Baku.

The Kremlin said after the humbling conversation: “A detailed discussion was held regarding the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane on 25 December near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. Vladimir Putin expressed his apologies for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.

"He once again extended his deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was strictly following its scheduled route, had made several attempts to land at the airport in Grozny. At the time, Grozny, Mozdok, and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defence systems were repelling these assaults.”

The plane is believed to have been downed by a Pantsir-S air defence system. The Kremlin said: “The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case under Article 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of traffic safety rules and the operation of air transport). Initial investigative actions are underway, and both civilian and military specialists are being questioned.

“At present, two employees from the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan are in Grozny, working jointly with representatives of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Specialised services from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan are closely cooperating at the crash site near Aktau.”

Until now, Putin's propaganda machine has blamed a flock of birds for the air disaster. His latest admission that the plane was downed by his own blundering air defence team opens the way to compensation payments by the Putin regime to Azerbaijan Airlines and the bereaved families.

Captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov have been praised for valiantly trying to save the plane, managing to fly it out of Russian airspace with 29 people surviving when it crashed in Kazakhstan. A US official said on Friday that Russian air defence systems may have brought down the Azerbaijani airliner, after an Azerbaijani minister also suggested the plane was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor accounts.

The assessments by Rashan Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed those made by outside aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defence systems responding to a Ukrainian attack. These statements raised pressure on Russia, where officials had said a drone attack was underway in the region where the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was heading for a landing. Mr Kirby told reporters that the US “have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defence systems,” but refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.