The Kremlin explained the acceptance of apologies from Azerbaijan for the downed Mi-24 helicopter

The immediate reaction of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Baku’s readiness for an impartial investigation allowed the Kremlin to accept the apology for the downed Mi-24 helicopter.

This was stated by the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reports.

“This is really a disaster, this is a tragedy, two of our soldiers were killed,” Peskov added.

The day before, on November 12, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbul-oglu commented on the crash of the Russian Mi-24 helicopter with the words “in war as in war.” The Russian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the representatives of Azerbaijan should not allow ambiguous statements in connection with the downed Russian combat helicopter by the Azerbaijani side, and Moscow expects that Baku will investigate and punish those responsible as soon as possible.

The ambassador’s words were also criticized by the aide to the President of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev.

On November 9, the Azerbaijani military shot down a Mi-24 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces from a portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS). Two crew members were killed. The Russian side did not return fire. According to official data, the helicopter was accompanying a convoy of a Russian military base located in Armenia. Baku pleaded guilty and expressed readiness to pay compensation.