Putin apologises over Azerbaijan Airlines crash, but Russia does not claim responsibility

Speaking to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised for the recent Azerbaijan Airlines crash, but stopped short of taking the blame.

The incident unfolded in Russian airspace; Putin said it occurred when air defence systems were intercepting Ukrainian drones.

The commercial jet is thought to have attempted touch down in Chechnya but was forced to divert. It then crash-landed in Kazakhstan, claiming the lives…