In a critical development, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a second call in two days to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev to discuss the tragic crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet. Following Aliyev's strong statement accusing Russia of obscuring the true cause of the crash on the Baku to Grozny flight, Putin urgently called Aliyev. As reported by the Azerbaijani president's press service, the Kremlin initiated the conversation. The discussion reportedly focused on the ongoing investigation into the aviation disaster. However, further details of the call were not disclosed.

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the call, adding that discussions surrounding the Azerbaijan airliner crash continue. This marks the second interaction between the leaders over a two-day period. Previously, Putin had expressed condolences over the "tragic incident" within Russian airspace but stopped short of directly acknowledging the plane was downed by Russian air defenses.

Meanwhile, Russian media narratives appear to be shifting. Prominent Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov deleted posts on his Telegram channel regarding Azerbaijan's demands for Russia to admit to the aircraft being shot down and to issue an apology. Additionally, he removed news of Aliyev's statement about the plane sustaining damage from ground fire.

Earlier, Aliyev accused Russia of attempting to hide the true cause of the crash. He criticized Russia for providing absurd explanations in the past days, demanding Russia admit to shooting down the plane, apologize, and offer compensation. In response to this crisis, it has emerged that Baku intends to tighten regulations on the stay of Russian citizens within Azerbaijan's borders.

  Azerbaijan, Aliyev, Putin

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