Peskov: Putin not plan to make statement regard crash of AZAL's plane

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to make a statement regarding the recent crash of an AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines) plane, Azernews reports, citing Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin press secretary, as he told to local journalists about the president's stance on the matter.

"No, a statement about the plane crash is not planned," Peskov stated.

Recently, an initial report regarding the investigation of the plane crash was released. The report revealed that the damage found on the aircraft's body was a result of impact from external objects. The initial findings do not mention any indication of a bird strike or a balloon explosion in connection with the incident.

According to the report, at 05:13:32, the aircraft lost control of its primary systems, and at 05:21:42, the coordinating dispatcher reported the "Cover" operation to Grozny.

To recall, an AZAL passenger plane en route from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau city in Kazakhstan on December 25. Among the 67 passengers on board, 38 lost their lives, while 29 survived.

Preliminary information suggests that the crash was caused by external physical and technical interference.