Baku demands recognition amid plane crash
Employees of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan have traveled to the capital of Russia‘s Chechen Republic, Grozny, as part of the investigation into the cause of the crash of the Baku-Grozny flight, operated by the Azerbaijan Airlines, on December 25 in Aktau. Yesterday, the Azerbaijani side officially confirmed that the passenger plane was shot down by a Russian air defense system over Grozny.
On December 27, pro-government media reported that the Azerbaijani authorities had declined the assistance offered by the Chechen leadership.
“The Chechen authorities had previously stated that, at the instruction of Ramzan Kadyrov, they were ready to provide financial and other assistance to the families of those killed and injured in the crash of the AZAL flight from Baku to Grozny.”
According to the news agency “Trend,” this information was provided by the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan.
“Azerbaijan does not need any assistance. Neither the state nor the citizens will accept such assistance. We are providing and will continue to provide the necessary support to our citizens. Azerbaijan demands recognition of the fact, an apology, and appropriate compensation,” said a source in the presidential administration.
On December 25, an Embraer 190 passenger plane, belonging to AZAL and flying from Baku to Grozny, crashed 3 kilometers from Aktau Airport.
There were 67 people on board (62 passengers and 5 crew members).
After the crash, 27 people were taken to the hospital. Of them, 15 are citizens of Azerbaijan, 8 are from the Russian Federation, and 3 are from the Kyrgyz Republic. The identity of one person has not yet been established.
Both pilots and a flight attendant died, while two crew members survived.
On December 26, 14 injured passengers and the bodies of four victims were transported to Azerbaijan.
The aircraft’s black box has already been found, and procedures for its analysis are being conducted in accordance with international aviation conventions. The investigation into the causes of the crash is still ongoing. Final conclusions will be made after all necessary research and data analysis are completed.
Meanwhile, this morning, an AZAL flight J2-8717 from Baku to Mineralnye Vody returned without leaving Baku’s airspace, immediately after takeoff and receiving a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) about the closure of airspace over Makhachkala.
The plane successfully landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport at 10:13 local time.
Later, AZAL announced that it would suspend flights to several cities in Russia — Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Volgograd, Ufa, Samara, Grozny, and Makhachkala. However, it will continue flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Astrakhan, Kazan, and Novosibirsk “in compliance with all flight safety requirements and regulations.”
“Against the backdrop of Russia’s position, the issue of revising allied relations can be put on the agenda”
“Of course, it is very difficult to accept what happened. Even if the attack on the plane was accidental, Russian and Chechen officials are responsible for what happened next — namely, the cancellation of emergency landing requests and the redirection of the plane to Aktau in the hope that witnesses and evidence would ‘disappear’ in the Caspian Sea,” said analysts from the Eastern View research center.
As they point out, “this is Russia, such behavior is neither the first nor the last.” According to Azerbaijani analysts, giving in to illusions and emotions in relations with Russia can lead to very serious consequences.
“However, the recent event should not go unnoticed in bilateral relations; it is necessary to even consider whether to continue the ‘alliance.’
The preamble of the Moscow Declaration of February 22, 2022, which governs or claims to regulate mutual allied activities, speaks of comprehensive and equal cooperation between the two countries based on the principles of mutual respect and trust, which this latest incident shows to be the complete opposite.
The behavior of the Russian side during this incident should not be demonstrated not only towards allied countries but even hostile ones. A crisis that could have been resolved in a short time with quick actions turned into a great tragedy due to the Russian leadership’s attempt to avoid responsibility. And they continue this behavior to this day.
Against the backdrop of the Russian side’s position, the issue of not ratifying the Moscow Declaration in Parliament and revising allied relations can be put on the agenda. In any case, the realities of the period when the Moscow Declaration was signed have already drastically changed, and the plans for a ‘second USSR’ have also fallen apart.
We can only hope that what happened on the Baku-Grozny flight on December 25, 2024, will play an important role in the future content of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Russia,” the analysts concluded.
The pilots of the downed plane, Igor Kshnyakin, Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Khokyuma Aliyeva, who bravely and professionally performed their duties until the last moment, trying to save the passengers, will be buried at the II Honorary Alley in Baku.
According to a decision by the Supervisory Board of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), each injured passenger of the “Embraer 190” plane, which was operating flight No. J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny and crashed on December 25, 2024, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, will receive compensation of 20,000 manat (approximately $11,700), and 40,000 manat (approximately $23,500) will be paid to the families of each deceased person.
In addition, all passengers will receive the corresponding insurance payout, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and best international practices.
Baku demands recognition amid plane crash
