Kremlin rejects Azerbaijani lawmaker’s call for apology over plane crash, citing ongoing investigation

The Kremlin is aware of calls from Baku urging Russia to apologize for the December 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau but maintains it cannot “make assessments” until the investigation into the incident is finished, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

“Once again, I have nothing to add to what I’ve already said. An investigation into this aviation incident is underway, and until conclusions are reached, we do not consider ourselves entitled to make any assessments and will not do so. Our aviation authorities are responsible for this, and only they can provide such information,” Russian state media quoted Peskov as saying.

On Thursday, Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabekov demanded an apology from Russia over the crash. “The plane was downed on Russian territory, in the skies over Grozny,” Musabekov said. “This is impossible to deny.”

Earlier on Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines stated that preliminary findings suggest the plane suffered “external physical and technical interference,” causing it to crash, according to Reuters.