Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, expressed deep condolences on behalf of all Russia regarding the deaths in the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft flying from Baku to Grozny, and acknowledged Russia's responsibility for this disaster.

Axar.az reports that citing Repоrt, this was stated by Sergey Markov, Director of the Center for Political Studies.

According to him, the phone conversation between the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan will be followed by a detailed investigation of all circumstances of the air crash.

"According to the rules, 30 days are allocated for preparing a preliminary report, and up to 12 months for a full report. However, the decision on compensation to AZAL airline for the loss of the aircraft, and more importantly, to the families of the deceased passengers and pilots will be made in the near future. As I have already said, Russian authorities do not intend to evade or hide facts. If the investigation confirms the fault of Russian authorities, Russia will acknowledge its responsibility," said Markov.

It should be noted that on December 25, an AZAL plane operating the Baku-Grozny flight was shot down by Russian air defense systems over the skies of Grozny and sustained serious damage. As it was not permitted to land, the plane headed towards Aktau and crashed near Aktau Airport. As a result of the crash, 38 out of the 67 people on board were killed, and 29 survived.