Conflicting statements from Russia about the December 25, 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that was hit by Russian missile fire have drawn fresh criticism from Azerbaijan, which marked the first anniversary of the disaster with flowers and other tributes.
Amid growing Azerbaijani accusations that Russia was trying to avoid responsibility, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in October – nearly a year after the crash – that Russian fire had damaged an Azerbaijani airliner that diverted from its destination in Russia-controlled Chechnya and went down near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. Putin indicated that the shooting was accidental, saying Russian forces were trying to fend off a Ukrainian drone attack at the time. The crash killed 38 of 67 people on board.
However, Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, sent a letter to Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general last month in which he said Russia’s “criminal case has been terminated” but also refers to the “resumed criminal case” – without making any reference to Russian missile fire. Instead, Bastrykin said the plane was unable to land at the Grozny, Chechnya airport because of cloudy weather and later crashed during the approach to the Aktau airport.
The Azeri Times, which along with other media outlets published the text of Bastrykin’s letter, described the Russian statement as “a clear cover-up!”
Farhad Mammadov, director of the South Caucasus Studies Center in Baku, noted what he said were inconsistencies in the Russian letter, including whether Russia’s criminal case had been terminated or resumed. On Telegram, he described Russia’s cloudy weather claim as: “Complete nonsense!!!”
Mammadov said the latest Russian statement appeared to be an attempt to delay a final resolution with Azerbaijan, which demanded compensation and punishment of those responsible. Putin had said in October that compensation would be paid.
“All these clumsy, contradictory and unprofessional gestures do not change the position of Azerbaijan,” Mammadov wrote. “Baku is waiting, as the impulse from the recognition of President Putin has not lost its significance… However, after Bastrykin’s letter, Baku may begin to doubt that Russia will take adequate actions…”
“Azerbaijan has its own criminal case and the opportunity to appeal to international courts in its arsenal,” he said.
Kazakhstan is also conducting its own politically sensitive investigation into the crash, with the participation of representatives from Russia, Azerbaijan and Brazil, where the Embraer 190 aircraft was made. Interim findings released in December did not assign responsibility for the crash.
Putin’s acknowledgement in October that Russian missile fire hit the Azerbaijani airliner came during a meeting in Dushanbe with President Ilham Aliyev, appearing to signal a thaw in ties after months of tension over the crash. However, Aliyev did not attend a December meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a group of former Soviet republics that includes Azerbaijan as a member.
Azerbaijan “is still signaling that Baku is unsatisfied with the ramifications and statements from Moscow,” despite Putin’s efforts to ease tensions with Azerbaijan over the plane crash, analyst Fuad Shabazov said on X.
Although Putin had apologized for the crash, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on its first anniversary that tried to deflect responsibility, saying the “root cause of the disaster” was an attack by Ukrainian drones on civilian infrastructure.
