Responsibility for tragedy lies with Russia - Azerbaijani president on plane crash

On January 6, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev met with the families of crew members who died and the surviving flight attendants from the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash on the Baku-Grozny route.

The president said that Azerbaijan seek for justice and pointed to the Russians as those responsible for the incident: “I can state with full certainty that the responsibility for the deaths of Azerbaijani citizens in this tragedy lies with representatives of the Russian Federation. We demand justice, we demand the punishment of those responsible, and we insist on full transparency and accountability in this matter. Human decency and ethical conduct must prevail”.

Aliyev also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and noted the example of heroism. 

“The pilots, most likely, understood they would not survive the accident. They were highly experienced professionals, and it was solely thanks to their skill and dedication that they managed to bring the out-of-control plane down, even though it required an emergency landing. The other members of the crew — the flight attendants — also displayed exceptional composure. They, too, likely realized the gravity of the situation and understood the slim chances of a safe outcome. Yet, despite this, they conducted themselves with restraint, courage, and professionalism”.

Plane crash in Aktau

On December 25, an AZAL plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed in Kazakhstan. 38 people were killed, mostly Azerbaijani citizens. Later, the media reported that the plane was attacked on the approach to Grozny by a missile from the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft system. 

The damaged plane wasn’t allowed to land at any Russian airports, even though the pilots asked for an emergency landing. Instead, they were told to fly over the Caspian Sea toward Aktau in Kazakhstan. Reports say the plane’s GPS systems were jammed the entire time it was flying over the sea.

Azerbaijan’s president stated the plane was disabled by electronic warfare. It's also been confirmed that the plane was hit by ground fire.

He confirmed that the black boxes are already being analyzed, which will clarify everything.

"What is already evident is that the plane was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare equipment. Additionally, it is clear that the aircraft sustained damage from ground fire. However, one question remains unanswered: Why was the plane directed to Aktau? We currently lack information on whether this decision was made by local air traffic control or if the pilots themselves. These details, along with others, will be revealed once the black boxes have been fully analyzed," Aliyev said.