Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, announced on Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was unintentionally shot down by Russia. He criticized Moscow for attempting to conceal the incident, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people. Aliyev stated on Azerbaijani state television that the airliner was affected by fire from the ground over Russia, which rendered it uncontrollable. Allegedly, Russia tried to downplay the situation for several days with confusing explanations.
The crash occurred in Kazakhstan, killing dozens among the 67 passengers and crew members on board. Russian air defenses were reportedly active near Grozny in Chechnya around the time of the aircraft’s landing attempt, with Russia citing this was a response to a Ukrainian drone strike. The Azerbaijani government has made three key demands: an apology, an acknowledgment of responsibility, and compensation for damages. While Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized, he stopped short of admitting fault.
A joint investigation involving Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan is underway near the crash site in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Survivors reported hearing loud noises during the flight, which took off from Baku en route to Grozny but diverted due to poor conditions and crashed during a landing attempt.
This incident echoes another tragic aviation disaster when in 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed in Ukraine by a missile. Although similar blame was directed at Russia, it denied involvement before a Dutch court later convicted several individuals linked to the attack.
An investigation into this latest crash continues, with Azerbaijan favoring an international panel to ensure a fair review, rejecting a Russian-led aviation body due to concerns over objectivity. The outcome of the investigation remains pending until the black box analysis is completed.
