Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thatAZAL plane crashThe incident apparently occurred due to the presence of a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle in Russian airspace, according to the Kremlin press service.

According to Putin, on the day of the tragedy, Russian air defense forces repelled attacks by three Ukrainian drones that had crossed the country's border. The AZAL plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, was likely damaged by debris from one of these drones, rather than by submunitions.

The plane's crew was advised to make an emergency landing at Makhachkala Airport, but the pilots decided to continue the flight to Grozny's base airport. In connection with the incident, the Russian side will conduct a legal assessment of the actions of all officials involved. Putin once again expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the plane crash.