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   Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russia played a role in the   
   crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan last year. Azerbaijani   
   President Ilham Aliyev claimed at the time that the plane was shot down by a   
   Russian missile, but Russia never confirmed this.   
       
   Putin met Aliyev on Thursday during a summit of former Soviet countries in   
   Tajikistan. The Russian president said that air defenses were active that   
   night of December 25, 2024, to intercept Ukrainian drones. One of the missiles   
   reportedly exploded "a few meters" from the passenger plane.   
       
   The aircraft, an Embraer 190 with 67 passengers, was en route from Baku to   
   Grozny, the capital of the Russian region of Chechnya. The plane ultimately   
   crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. 38 passengers were killed.   
       
   Putin had previously apologized to Aliyev, but had not specifically stated   
   that Russia was to blame for the accident. A Kremlin statement at the time   
   stated that Putin apologized "because the tragic incident occurred in Russian   
   airspace.   
       
   "In Thursday's conversation, Putin said that Russia would do "everything   
   necessary" to provide compensation.   
       
   Aliyev had previously been outspokenly critical of Russia's response to the   
   crash, claiming that the Kremlin was trying to cover up Russia's role. On   
   Thursday, his tone changed and he thanked Putin for the apology.   
      
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