Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has issued demands to Russia regarding the crash of an Embraer 190 plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, which occurred on December 25. Speaking publicly, Aliyev accused Russia of attempting to obscure the circumstances of the crash and rejected the proposal for a Russian-led investigation.
Passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan, rescue efforts underway
— Daryo | Central Asia & Afghanistan (@DaryoEng) December 25, 2024
A passenger plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, with emergency teams working to extinguish a fire and investigate the incident.
👉 Details — https://t.co/BGWtVFzUZo#Kazakhstan… pic.twitter.com/qP8ijs1rxP
Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan declined Russia's offer to involve the Interstate Aviation Committee in the investigation.
“The Russian side officially offered us to have the Interstate Aviation Committee investigate this case. We categorically refused. The reason is clear, because this institution consists mainly of Russian officials, and it is no secret that Russian citizens are at the top of it,” Aliyev said.
He added, “The factors of objectivity may not be fully satisfied here. If we had seen the fair and adequate steps taken by Russia immediately after the crash, we probably would not have objected. But we saw clear attempts to cover up this issue. The injuries inflicted on passengers and crew members by the ‘fragments’ that hit the plane are obvious. Attributing this to some birds or an explosion of a gas cylinder is both stupidity and dishonesty.”
Demands to Russia
The Azerbaijani president outlined specific demands to Russia, officially submitted on December 27.
“We have clearly stated our demands to the Russian side. These demands were officially submitted to them on December 27. What are they? First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, they must admit their guilt.
Third, they must punish the guilty, bring them to criminal responsibility, and compensate Azerbaijan, the injured passengers and crew members — these are our conditions. The first of them was presented yesterday. I hope that our other conditions will also be accepted,” Aliyev stated.
He clarified that he does not believe the plane was intentionally shot down but emphasized the importance of accountability.
“Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing but illogical versions from Russia. One of the things that upset and surprised us was that the Russian official structures put forward assumptions about the explosion of some kind of gas cylinder. That is, this openly showed that the Russian side wants to suppress the issue, and this, of course, does not bring honor to anyone,” he said.
Putin’s Apology
On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the incident during a conversation with Aliyev.
“Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured a speedy recovery,” a Kremlin statement read.
The Kremlin also disclosed that at the time of the crash, “Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian combat drones, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks.”
Incident Details
The Embraer 190, operating as flight J28243 from Baku to Grozny, attempted an emergency landing after controllers denied landing permission at Grozny and Makhachkala airports. The crash occurred near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The nose section of the aircraft was completely destroyed, while survivors were located in the tail section.
Azerbaijan Airlines reported 38 fatalities and 29 survivors. Upon inspection, holes were found in the fuselage, leading to speculation that the aircraft may have been struck by air defense systems responding to drone attacks in Chechnya.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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