Putin says Russia to pay compensation related to Azerbaijani jet crash

Fragments of detonated Russian missiles may have caused the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet in December 2024, and Moscow will pay compensation, Russian President Putin said Thursday.

In a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, Putin discussed the causes of the accident with Aliyev. Two missiles exploded near the plane, possibly through the self-destruction mechanism, Putin said, adding that missile fragments most likely led to damage to the aircraft.

Putin said that, according to black box recordings, the pilot was advised to make an emergency landing in the Russian city of Makhachkala after a perceived collision with birds, but he decided to return to his home base and then to Kazakhstan.