Germany blames Russian war in Ukraine for deadly Azerbaijan plane crash

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday blamed the Russian war in Ukraine for the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan.

"Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is affecting more and more innocent people - even outside Ukraine. This is shown by the air disaster in Aktau, which must be fully investigated," Scholz wrote on X.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he added.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Berlin, German deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said that "this tragic death of so many people" would not have taken place, "if Putin had not waged his brutal war of aggression" against Ukraine.

On Wednesday, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic, crashed 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast.

Kazakh authorities said 38 people were killed in the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft, which had 67 people on board, while 29 survived. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Initial statements said a bird collision might have caused the crash, though footage from the site revealed large holes in the tail section of the aircraft, leading to speculation of a possible attack.

On Thursday, senior Azerbaijani officials confirmed to Anadolu reports suggesting the plane crash was caused by a Russian missile system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Saturday, apologized for the incident and offered his condolences.

A day later, Aliyev said that the crashed plane’s tail was severely damaged as a result of “weapons fire from the ground,” demanding that Moscow issue an “acknowledgment of guilt, punishment of those responsible, and payment of compensation.”