Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev addressed the situation surrounding the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner, asserting that the aircraft was unintentionally shot down by Russian fire. He expressed dissatisfaction with Moscow’s attempts to downplay the incident in the days following the crash.
“We can assert with certainty that the plane was shot down by Russia. (…) It wasn’t done deliberately, but it did occur,” he stated during an interview with Azerbaijani state television. Aliyev explained that the airliner, which went down in Kazakhstan last Wednesday, was struck by ground fire over Russian territory and affected by electronic warfare tactics, rendering it uncontrollable. He voiced his frustration over the confusing narratives disseminated by Russian officials, stating, “I was both upset and surprised by their unfounded explanations.”
In the tragic incident, 38 out of 67 individuals aboard lost their lives. The Kremlin claimed that air defense systems were engaging a Ukrainian drone near Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, at the time the plane was making its ill-fated approach to land.
In light of the crash, Aliyev enumerated three key demands that Azerbaijan has made of Russia. “Firstly, we expect an apology from the Russian authorities. Secondly, they must acknowledge their culpability. Finally, they should administer justice by holding those responsible accountable and provide compensation to the Azerbaijani government, as well as to the injured passengers and crew,” he remarked.
Aliyev also highlighted that the first demand had already been met following an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, although Putin referred to the incident as a “tragic occurrence” without explicitly admitting liability. He mentioned that investigations into the crash are ongoing, and the conclusive account of events will materialize once the black boxes are retrieved.
Additionally, Aliyev mentioned that Azerbaijan has always welcomed the involvement of international experts in examining the crash and had categorically declined Russia’s proposal for the Interstate Aviation Committee, largely composed of Russian officials, to handle the investigation. “It is well known that this organization is primarily made up of Russian authorities and led by Russian citizens. True objectivity could not be assured in this case,” he noted.
On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sunday that Putin had a follow-up conversation with Aliyev, although details were not shared with the public. The Kremlin announced plans for a joint investigation between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan at the crash site close to Aktau, Kazakhstan. The aircraft was en route from Baku to Grozny but diverted across the Caspian Sea into Kazakhstan, where it tragically crashed during an attempted landing.
Survivors recounted hearing strange and alarming sounds during the flight as the plane circled around Grozny. Dmitry Yadrov, the head of Russia’s civil aviation authority, revealed that when the aircraft was preparing for its landing amidst dense fog, Ukrainian drones were allegedly targeting Grozny, prompting the airspace to be restricted.
This tragic crash marks the second serious aviation disaster linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a Russian surface-to-air missile while flying over eastern Ukraine, resulting in the death of all 298 passengers and crew members. Russia has consistently denied any involvement; however, a Dutch court convicted two Russian men and a pro-Russian Ukrainian for their roles in the downing, using a missile system brought in from a Russian military base.
