Kremlin admits catastrophe: Russian 'Pantsir' shot down a passenger aircraft; 38 people killed PHOTO

The incident resulted in a crash in which 38 people were killed. According to a joint statement by the foreign ministries of both countries, the strike on the aircraft was described as &ldquo;unintentional.&rdquo;Both sides said they had reached an &ldquo;appropriate agreement on the consequences, including compensation,&rdquo; although specific financial details were not disclosed.The aircraft, an Embraer 190 operating a flight from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia, was hit by a &ldquo;Pantsir-S&rdquo; air defense system over Chechnya during its approach for landing. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the aircraft was damaged while forces were repelling a Ukrainian drone attack during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.After being damaged, the crew requested emergency landing in nearby Russian cities but was not granted permission. The aircraft eventually flew across the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan and crashed near the city of Aktau.There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members. Only 29 survived the disaster.Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 jet, with flight number J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny, capital of Russia&#39;s Chechnya region, but had been forced to make an emergency landing around 3 km (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan. pic.twitter.com/2PW5cIqlWx&mdash; Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 25, 2024Russian authorities initially denied any involvement in the crash, which led to a significant deterioration in relations with Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev immediately blamed Moscow for the incident, stating that the aircraft had been &ldquo;disabled by electronic warfare systems&rdquo; and hit by ground fire in Grozny.Aliyev expressed anger that Russia was attempting to &ldquo;cover up the incident&rdquo; and insisting on &ldquo;absurd versions&rdquo; of the cause of the crash, and he also threatened to bring the case before an international court.Responsibility was effectively acknowledged nine months later, in October 2025. During a meeting with the Azerbaijani president, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the crash and promised that those responsible would be punished. He claimed that the crew had been offered a landing in Makhachkala, but instead chose to return to their home airport.Azerbaijani investigative journalists later identified several Russian military officers allegedly involved in the downing of the civilian aircraft near Grozny in December 2024, shedding new light on the tragedy that killed 38 people.The newly identified personnel were reportedly on active combat duty when a &ldquo;Pantsir-S1&rdquo; surface-to-air missile system was launched at Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432.

Kremlin admits catastrophe: Russian 'Pantsir' shot down a passenger aircraft; 38 people killed PHOTO

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