Two days after the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia (Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency), spoke about the incident. He recalled a Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny Airport and the activation of the Kovyor (Carpet) plan at that time, Interfax Russia reports.
"The situation around Grozny Airport at that time was extremely tense. Ukrainian combat drones were reportedly targeting civilian infrastructure in Grozny and Vladikavkaz. In response, the Kovyor plan was activated, mandating the immediate clearance of all aircraft from the affected airspace," Yadrov said.
He said that the airport was also shrouded in dense fog. Yadrov claimed that the plane's captain made two unsuccessful landing attempts and was reportedly offered alternative airports, but "he chose to proceed to Aktau on his own".
Earlier, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, declined to comment on Baku's allegation that Russia had shot down the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.
