Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of shooting down an Azerbaijani passenger plane last week. He put forth his three demands and called for Moscow to apologise, admit guilt, and compensate victims. Speaking to Azerbaijani state television, Aliyev said the crash, which killed 38 of the 67 passengers onboard, was caused by fire from the ground and interference from Russian electronic warfare systems.
“We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. We are not saying it was done intentionally, but it happened,” Aliyev said. He criticised Moscow for attempting to conceal the cause of the crash for several days, adding that the explanations offered by Russian officials were “absurd” and “completely removed from reality.”
Aliyev outlined three demands for Russia following the incident: “First, the Russian side must apologise to Azerbaijan. Second, it must acknowledge its guilt. Third, those responsible must be punished and compensation paid to the Azerbaijani state, injured passengers, and crew members.”
The Azerbaijani airliner was en route from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, when it diverted to Kazakhstan and crashed while attempting to land in Aktau. Survivors reported hearing loud noises aboard the aircraft while it circled Grozny. The Kremlin later acknowledged that air defence systems were active in the area at the time, responding to a reported Ukrainian drone attack.
According to Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised during a phone call on Saturday, calling the crash a “tragic incident” but stopping short of admitting responsibility. The Kremlin has since stated that investigations into the crash are ongoing, with a joint probe by Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan underway at the crash site.
Aliyev expressed frustration over Russia’s initial response, saying: “For the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except absurd theories, such as the plane hitting a flock of birds. The facts are clear—our plane was damaged externally, rendered uncontrollable, and its tail was severely damaged by fire from the ground.”
This crash marks the second civil aviation disaster involving suspected Russian involvement, following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014. Russia has denied responsibility for that incident despite international findings, leaving questions about transparency in its handling of such events.