Jetliner Shot Down Unintentionally By Russia: Azerbaijani President

‘We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia,’ Azerbaijan’s president said.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaks during the Opening Ceremony of the United Nations climate change conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 12, 2024. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Dec. 29 that Russia was directly responsible for the crash of a jetliner that killed 38 people, and he indicated that the incident was unintentional.

“We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia,” Aliyev told Azerbaijani state media. “We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done.”

The plane entered Russian airspace on Dec. 25. The plane attempted to divert its course to land in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic, and was unsuccessful. The plane crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 of the plane’s 67 passengers.

Following the crash, the Kremlin press office confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Russia’s air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny.

In his comments, Aliyev gave a preliminary assessment of the crash, saying it was caused after the plane was hit by Russian fire from the ground and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan, calling the crash “a tragic incident.” Moscow stopped short of taking full responsibility, framing it as an accident.

​​“Vladimir Putin offered his apologies that the tragic incident had occurred in Russia’s airspace and once again conveyed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the plane crash victims and wished those injured the quickest recovery,” the press office said in the statement.

Aliyev spoke about his country’s demands following the event.

“First, the Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Second, it must admit its guilt. Third, punish the guilty, bring them to criminal responsibility and pay compensation to the Azerbaijani state, the injured passengers and crew members.”

That first request, Aliyev said, had already been fulfilled. He indicated the other two demands had not been met.

Aliyev also indicated that Azerbaijan isn’t happy with how Russia initially responded, citing efforts to “hush up” the crash.

“Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delirious versions” of events, he said.

Aliyev said investigations are ongoing, and that he expects that the “final version will be known” following the reclamation of the crashed jetliner’s black box.

Russia and Azerbaijan are at odds over how to carry out investigations moving forward, however.

Aliyev reported that he “categorically refused” Russia’s request that the incident be investigated by the Interstate Aviation Committee, an organization under the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States.

Azerbaijan is a member of the post-Soviet political bloc, but Aliyev expressed concerns about its ability to be impartial.

“It is no secret that this organization consists mostly of Russian officials and is headed by Russian citizens. The factors of objectivity could not be fully ensured here,” he said.

According to Russian state media, Aliyev and Putin spoke again on Sunday, but the details of that conversation haven’t been released.

The crash is the second deadly plane incident linked to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Another incident in 2014 involved the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 by pro-Russian separatists, though Russia denied responsibility for that incident.