Putin's Administration Silent on Reports of Russians Downing Azerbaijani Plane

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, said that the Kremlin had seen a statement from Baku that Russia should apologise for shooting down the Azerbaijani Airlines plane but refused to comment on this information until "the investigation into the causes of the crash is completed," The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

"Of course, we have seen [the statement of Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabayov, who said that Russia should apologise - ed.], but I repeat once again, I have nothing to add to what I have already said."

Peskov called the downing of the plane an "aviation incident" and insisted that he could not "give an assessment" until the results of the investigation were available.

"We have our aviation authorities who can do this, and this information can only come from them."

Background:

• On 25 December, an Embraer aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines en route from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau, the administrative centre of Kazakhstan's Mangistau Oblast. According to Azerbaijan Airlines, 67 people were on board, including five crew members. Of these, 42 were citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 were Russians, six were Kazakhs, and three were Kyrgyz nationals.
• The crash killed 38 people, said Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and head of the state commission leading the investigation into the causes of the crash.