Kazakhstan plane crash may drastically alter Baku-Moscow relations – ex-military prosecutor

He expressed this opinion during an Espreso broadcast.

"The world must react sharply to the crash of Azerbaijan's plane in Kazakhstan. Any other reaction is unacceptable. Turning a blind eye is no longer an option. At the very least, other countries should suspend flights to Russia," Chumak explained.

According to Viktor Chumak, Azerbaijan could respond strongly to the crash, including reducing air traffic and political interactions with Russia.

"The most critical reaction should come from Azerbaijan. It should be sufficiently active, even if not entirely public. This includes Azerbaijan increasingly orienting itself toward Turkey. The fact that President Aliyev turned his plane around near Moscow and returned after this incident shows how deeply it affected him and the Azerbaijani government. The crucial factor is that the plane wasn’t allowed to land in Russia and had to fly across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan. Therefore, I expect Azerbaijan's reaction to be sharp, especially in shifting orientation toward Turkey, reducing air traffic, and scaling back political contacts with Russia," Chumak added.

Budanov: Plane was downed by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system

In an interview with The War Zone, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, citing four sources close to the investigation, stated: "As far as we know, the plane was downed by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system over the Russian territory."

Azerbaijan demands apologies from Russia

A member of Azerbaijan's parliamentary committee on international relations, Rasim Musabekov, stated in an interview with Turan that an Embraer E190AR passenger plane from Azerbaijan Airlines was shot down in the skies over Grozny.

According to him, Russia is attempting to cover up the crash. However, Musabekov emphasized that the Russian side should issue an apology.

"The plane was shot down on Russian territory, in the skies over Grozny. This cannot be denied. Those responsible must be held criminally accountable, and compensation must be paid. If this does not happen, relations will undoubtedly change significantly," Musabekov added.

Kremlin’s response

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin is aware of Musabekov's claims regarding the plane shot down by Russian air defenses, as reported by Meduza. However, Peskov emphasized that he had "nothing to add to what has already been said."

"The investigation into this aviation incident is ongoing, and until conclusions are made, we do not believe it is appropriate to make any assessments, nor will we. Our aviation authorities are responsible for this, and any information should come from them," Peskov added.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reaction

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha extended condolences to Azerbaijan over the plane crash.

"Notably, Russian media lied about the cause of the crash, as well as the fact that Russia forced the damaged plane to cross the sea, likely to hide evidence of its crime," Sybiha wrote.

He added that photos and videos from the cockpit and the crash site provide undeniable evidence of the use of a Russian air defense system.

"We call for a fair and impartial investigation to ensure those responsible are held accountable. We must not allow Russia to lie, evade responsibility, or shift blame," the minister emphasized.

• On the morning of December 25, a passenger plane crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The flight was en route from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grozny, Russia. The crash claimed 38 lives. According to Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, the plane was struck by a Russian air defense system.