Azerbaijan President Blames Russia For Deadly Airline Crash, Demands Accountability

Russia has been accused by President Ilham Aliyev of being “guilty” for the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft last month, which killed 38 of the 67 people on board. On December 25, 2024, the Embraer 190 plane crashed in Kazakhstan instead of making its planned landing in Grozny, Russia.

Although Moscow has acknowledged that its air defenses were in place at the time, it has not yet verified if Russian missiles struck the aircraft.

President Aliyev said in a speech on Monday that the murders of Azerbaijani citizens were directly caused by the Russian Federation.

Aliyev made the comments at a meeting with the families of the crash victims and the remaining crew members. In a rare and harsh attack on Moscow, the Azerbaijani leader, who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for an apology and the punishment of anyone involved in what he called the “criminal” act of shooting down the aircraft.

According to the findings of Azerbaijan’s inquiry, a Russian air defense missile unintentionally damaged the aircraft. Aliyev’s remarks coincide with continued uncertainty on the cause of the disaster. This account of events has angered Baku, despite Russian officials’ original allegation that a bird strike forced the jet to detour.

Aliyev rejected Russia’s first answers, saying Moscow was attempting to hide the real reason behind the disaster and providing “delusional versions” that only served to inflame Azerbaijan’s resentment. Aliyev also asked why the aircraft was diverted from its intended course to Aktau, a city in Kazakhstan hundreds of kilometers across the Caspian Sea.

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He emphasized that the plane’s captain ought to have been alerted right away if there had been a genuine threat to Russian airspace. Furthermore, Russia has admitted that its air defenses were in operation at the time, stating that they were retaliating for drone assaults from Ukraine.

The Russian government has not officially acknowledged or denied that the plane was brought down by one of its missiles, though.

Russia launched its criminal inquiry into the tragedy, but it hasn’t come to a definitive conclusion. In the meantime, Brazil has received the plane’s black boxes for additional examination, which could shed more light on the crash’s cause.

Growing dissatisfaction with Russia’s handling of the issue and the lack of transparency surrounding the disaster’s origins is reflected in the Azerbaijani president’s forceful remarks.

Gentle Reminder: Be careful how you use your authority and influence, be wise, and treat others with respect.

Chychy Jonas